Need to ensure legal protection to marginalised sections of society: SC judge

PTI, Nov 1, 2021, 2:57 PM IST

New Delhi: Supreme Court judge Justice U U Lalit has expressed the need to ensure legal protection to the marginalised sections of the society.

Justice Lalit, who is also the Executive Chairman of National Legal Services Authority, said State legal Services Authority is bound to ensure legal aid to the weaker sections of the community, including women and children.

He was speaking at the Legal Awareness Camp and Expo, for the vulnerable sections of the society, organised by Kerala State Legal Services Authority at the Vellar Craft village, Thiruvananthapuram, as part of the Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav .

“Even though many programmes are conducted by the Union and state governments for giving legal aid to the marginalised sections of the community, the results do not reach the beneficiaries as they are not aware of the existence of the schemes,” Justice Lalit said.

Legal Services Authority is duty bound to arrange facilities to ensure that legal aid activities are reaching to the eligible people through the Legal Services Institutions, he said.

“The service of the Legal Services Institutions shall reach every nook and corner of the State.  Constitution provides free legal aid to each and every eligible citizen. Hence there should be programmes for making the beneficiaries capacitated enough to avail the benefits by providing awareness,” he said.

On Sunday, Justice Lalit inaugurated a mega legal services camp at Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and flagged off five mobile vans which will travel through various parts of the southern state to spread awareness about the legal services available to citizens.

While inaugurating the camp as part of the ongoing pan-India campaign, Justice Lalit said COVID-19 pandemic has not dampened the spirits of the legal services institutions and has rather lifted the spirits to render more and better services.

Earlier on Saturday, Justice Lalit launched the nationwide legal awareness programme, ‘Empowerment of Women through legal awareness’ at Varanasi.

The awareness programme is being carried out by the National Legal Services Authority in collaboration with National Commission for Women and UP State Legal Services Authority.

During the inaugural session, Supreme Court judge Justice D Y Chandrachud also joined the inaugural session through video conferencing.

At the event held at Varanasi, several other top court judges Justices Vikram Nath, Krishna Murari, Judge, Chief Justice of Allahabad HC Justice Rajesh Bindal were also present among others.