NewKerala.com

Key Points

Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai has called for expanding legal aid services to the country's most remote areas. He emphasized that legal rights become meaningless if citizens aren't aware of their existence. The CJI also stressed the importance of strengthening legal education infrastructure beyond National Law Universities. His comments come amid growing concerns over 5.29 crore pending cases across Indian courts.

Key Points: CJI Gavai Calls for Legal Aid Expansion and Rights Education

  • CJI Gavai advocates for legal aid camps in remote and border areas
  • Stresses need to strengthen legal education in mofussil colleges
  • Encourages law students to focus on determination and hard work
  • Highlights 5.29 crore pending cases burdening Indian courts
2 min read

CJI Gavai calls for expanding legal aid, educating people on their legal rights

CJI Gavai urges expanding legal aid to remote areas and strengthening mofussil college infrastructure to educate citizens about their legal rights and remedies.

"Unless the citizens know that they have the right to legal remedy, the remedy or the right will be of no help to them. - CJI B.R. Gavai"

Panaji, Aug 23

Chief Justice of India, B.R. Gavai, on Saturday called for taking legal aid to the remotest areas in the country to educate people about their rights and asked stakeholders to help strengthen the legal education infrastructure in mofussil colleges.

Speaking at an event at V.M. Salgaocar College of Law, CJI Gavai said, “Unless the citizens know that they have the right to legal remedy, the remedy or the right will be of no help to them.”

CJI Gavai recalled his early days when he took part in legal aid camps in places in the Northeast and states like Rajasthan along the Indo-Pakistan border.

Inspiring students to work for society, he said, “You are the future of tomorrow’s India.”

He said exam results alone do not determine success, but it is “your determination, your hard work and your commitment that matter.”

Appreciating the innovative measures taken by the V.M. Salgaocar College of Law for supporting young lawyers, CJI Gavai said, “Maybe other law colleges can emulate the experiment of giving three rooms to young lawyers for use as chambers for practice.”

The CJI also stressed the need to maintain high standards in legal education. “These days there is a lot of focus on National Law Universities but I believe other colleges are also producing bright students. But stakeholders should strengthen legal education infrastructure in mofussil colleges.”

The CJI’s call to young legal professionals to give something back to society comes at a time when the number of pending cases in courts has been rising steadily.

As per official data up to July 21 available on the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG), Indian courts are burdened with 5.29 crore pending cases, with the maximum number of 4.65 crore cases pending in district and subordinate courts.

There are 63.30 lakh cases pending in High Courts and 86,742 cases in the Supreme Court, the data showed.

Apart from the burgeoning case backlog, the district and subordinate courts appear to struggle to work at full strength.

According to the Department of Justice, as against a sanctioned strength of 25,843 Judicial Officers as on July 21, 2015, the lower courts are working with a strength of 21,122.

“Filling up of vacancies in District and Subordinate judiciary falls within the domain of the State/UT governments and High Courts concerned,” according to a statement by the Law and Justice Ministry.

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Great speech by CJI Gavai! But the real issue is the 5.29 crore pending cases. Legal awareness is important, but we need more judges and faster justice delivery system. The government must prioritize filling those 4,721 vacancies in lower courts.
A
Ananya R
As a law student from a smaller college, I appreciate CJI recognizing that NLUs aren't the only ones producing good lawyers. Mofussil colleges need infrastructure support and opportunities. His point about chambers for young lawyers is practical and helpful!
D
David E
Interesting perspective from India's top judge. The legal aid camp approach sounds similar to pro bono initiatives in Western countries. The scale of pending cases is staggering though - hope this call to action leads to real change.
S
Siddharth J
My father fought a land dispute case for 12 years! Common people need to know their rights and have access to affordable legal help. CJI's focus on remote areas is much needed. Justice should reach every corner of India.
M
Meera T
While I appreciate the sentiment, I wish the judiciary would also focus on making legal processes simpler and less expensive. Knowing your rights is one thing, but affording to exercise them is another challenge altogether.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50