The Sarin Memorial Legal Aid Foundation (the 'Foundation'), the legal aid arm of Sarin & Co., is a Trust established in Chandigarh, India in October 1995 in the fond memory of Late Shri Harbans Lal Sarin, Senior Advocate and Late Shri. Ranjit Lal Sarin, Advocate.

The Foundation was inaugurated by Mr. Justice (Rtd.) Kuldip Singh of the Supreme Court of India, better known as the “Green Judge of India” for his commitment towards matters and cases relating to the protection of the environment. The then Governor of the State of Punjab, Lt Gen. (Rtd.) B.K.N. Chibber, and the then Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr. Harcharan Singh Brar graced the inauguration.

The Foundation is dedicated to the cause of protecting public interest, spreading legal literacy, taking up causes of general public importance for legal redressal and turning lawyers into socially responsible professionals.

The Foundation is run and managed voluntarily by the Trustees, young lawyers and students of law.

The Foundation’s main objective is to spread legal literacy and turn lawyers into socially responsible professionals. The Foundation comprises young aspirants who are dedicated to help the poor, downtrodden and the differently abled - to protect their rights as well as to generate awareness among people about issues that concern the public as a whole, from environment to legal literacy, to freedom of speech and expression.

Aims and Objectives

• To spread legal literacy amongst the citizens of India, especially, the weak, down-trodden and poor, irrespective of race, caste, sex, colour or creed;
• To take up public causes in public interest and find remedies in accordance with law for the protection of the environment and to improve the surrounding living conditions of the citizens of India with greater stress on the economically weaker sections of the society, etc.
• To raise issues of public interest in appropriate Courts of Law. To protect the interest of the general public and to ensure the safe and proper use of sources of energy and at the same time, to promote the establishment of non-conventional and renewable sources of energy systems.
• To arrange talks, lectures, speeches by eminent personalities in the field of law, public affairs, social services, etc., to promote the aforementioned objectives;
• To arrange legal aid camps to settle disputes amicably amongst the citizens of India and to set up alternative methods of redress of grievances, especially, by voluntary consent of the adversary parties;
• To establish, run and promote centres for the training of young advocates with a view to indicate the spirit of service to the society and with the objective of producing dedicated lawyers who in turn could serve the society professionally in the years to come;
• To raise funds through voluntary means to further the objectives mentioned and for promoting social and economic welfare, especially of the weaker sections of the society; and
• To take up and promote causes for the benefit of differently abled children and persons.

The Foundation organizes lectures in various parts of India. Some notable lectures are listed below:

• LEGAL EDUCATION IN INDIA – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE by Dr. Justice A.S. Anand (Former Chief Justice of India)
• INDIA AND ALTERNATE DISPUTE RESOLUTION By Justice B.N. Kirpal (Former Chief Justice of India)
• ALTERNATE DISPUTE RESOLUTION By Justice S.S. Sodhi (Former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court)
• PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS By Justice Sam Nariman Variava (Former Judge of the Supreme Court of India

The Foundation has, over the years, supported the movement on voluntary blood donation.

• The Foundation sponsored a two-day Conference organized by the Federation of Blood Donors Organization of India (FBDOI) held in Chandigarh on April 24 & 25, 2010.
• In 2013, the Foundation was approached by the Blood Bank Society with a request to sponsor an All India meet to discuss the ways and means of eradicating thalassemia from our country
• The Foundation has also supported and sponsored a number of blood donation camps at the Punjab & Haryana High Court at Chandigarh
  

The Foundation paid part of the remaining tuition fee of approximately INR 250,000 as a scholarship to a young computer science engineering student – Mr. Sahil Dhal.

The Foundation holds Moot Courts on various topics of legal importance to encourage and train young lawyers. The Leiden-Sarin International Air Law Moot Court Competition is one such initiative.

The Leiden -Sarin International Air Law Moot Court Competition, established in 2010 was the brainchild of Prof. (Dr.) Pablo Mendes de Leon of Leiden University and Nitin Sarin. Over the years, the competition has grown from strength to strength; and has contributed to shape young students of law into responsible lawyers in the field of aviation law. The competition not only brings the brightest young minds from across the globe together competing against each other; but also brings the best experts in the field of aviation law from around the world to judge the competition year after year.

Publications

As part of the aims and objectives of the Foundation, various publications have been released. These publications include books, articles, etc. on various subjects of law in India. These can be found below:

• The Blood Bankers Legal Handbook (2003, Authored by Mr. M.L. Sarin and Mr. Harpreet Giani)
• Purpose, Passion, Perseverance... 50 Years of the Blood Bank Society (2019)