Where an accused person in a trial or appeal isn't represented by a lawyer, and the court is satisfied they don't have sufficient means to engage one, the court must assign them an advocate at the State's expense.
- This is a court obligation, not a discretionary favour — "shall assign" leaves no real room for the court to simply let an unrepresented, unable-to-afford accused go without a lawyer.
You have a real, enforceable right to a lawyer even if you can't afford one — if you're facing trial without representation, tell the court directly that you can't afford a lawyer and ask for one to be assigned.
Related law
The constitutional directive behind free legal aid, which this section gives concrete effect to
Keep exploring
This is a plain-English summary, not verbatim statutory text. Adhikar is an independent citizen-awareness platform, not a Government of India website. Always verify against the bare Act (legislative.gov.in) or a qualified advocate before relying on this for an actual legal situation.