Indore: Public access to justice rests on dialogue, dignity and inclusion, which are also the key objectives of legal aid, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said on Saturday.
Legal aid works with the understanding that people are spoken to and not merely spoken at, the CJI said while addressing the Western Zone Regional Conference of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) in Indore.
This ensures that they are treated as citizens and not mere case numbers. The aim of legal aid is reach the people “wherever they are”, rather than expecting them “to find their own way to us”, he explained, as reported by Hindustan Times.
“Access to Justice has never been built by laws alone. It begins with a conversation. Before justice can be delivered, people must feel heard,” he was quoted as saying by Bar and Bench.
“For the ordinary citizen, the experience of justice begins the moment they walk into a legal aid clinic. Long before a judicial order is passed, they have already formed an opinion about the justice system from the manner in which they are received, heard and treated,” CJI Kant said while explaining why ensuring dignity matters.
He laid stress on patient explanation and having a respectful conversation, and the need for inclusion.
Access to justice cannot be considered meaningful if it is hindered due poverty, disability, language or lack of awareness, the CJI said, while adding: “The real test of an institution is not how well it serves those who are able to reach it, but how effectively it reaches those who never can.”
The grievances and hardships of different communities should be heard in their own languages to further ease access, he said.
The inaugural session of the conference was attended by Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Mohan Yadav, and judges from the Supreme Court and High Courts.
