Like Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living, Ease of Justice is equally important in this Amrit Yatra of the country, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing the inaugural session of the First All India District Legal Services Authorities Meet in New Delhi, he highlighted the place of legal aid in the Directive Principles of the State Policy. This importance is reflected in the faith of the citizens in the Judiciary of the country.
He said “as important as access to the judicial system is for any society, justice delivery is equally important. The judicial infrastructure also has an important contribution to this. In the last eight years, work has been done at a fast pace to strengthen the judicial infrastructure of the country.”
Underlining India’s leadership in information technology and fintech, the Prime Minister stressed that there cannot be a better time to introduce more power of technology to judicial proceedings. He said “under the e-Courts Mission, virtual courts are being started in the country. 24-hour courts have started functioning for crimes like traffic violations. Video conferencing infrastructure is also being expanded in the courts for the convenience of the people.”
He said that more than one crore cases have been heard through video conferencing in the country. This proves that “our judicial system is committed to the ancient Indian values of justice and, at the same time, is ready to match the realities of the 21st century.” He further said “a common citizen should be aware of his rights and duties in the constitution. They should be aware of their constitution, and constitutional structures, rules and remedies. Technology can play a big role in this too.”
Chief Justice Justice N V Ramana, Supreme Court Judges Justice UU Lalit, Justice D Y Chandrachud and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also spoke.
The first-ever national level meet of District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) is being organised from 30-31 July 2022 at Vigyan Bhawan by National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). The meeting will deliberate on the creation of an integrated procedure in order to bring homogeneity and synchronisation across DLSAs.
There are a total of 676 District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) in the country. They are headed by the District Judge who acts as Chairman of the authority.
