The Hindu Business Line : Stress on legal empowerment of the under-privileged

URGING everyone to help spread the message of legal literacy to the most marginalised sections of society, mainly in the remotest rural areas, Mr Justice V.S. Sirpurkar, Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, said "we need to teach the under-privileged and oppressed people their legal rights, not mere law".

He felt such legal empowerment would not only bring down the number of litigations in courts, but also enable the disadvantaged sections to seek justice and eliminate stigma, discrimination and inequality from society. Asked whether such empowerment would further clutter the courts, with more people tapping the courts, he replied in the negative, stating that it was meaningless litigation that was being thrust on the courts now.

Launching the National Legal Literacy Mission in West Bengal today at the Calcutta High Court, Mr Justice Sirpurkar said "We need to talk more of our fundamental duties towards our nation, society and ourselves".

Calling for greater legal empowerment of the less-fortunate citizens, he said the ignorance of people with regard to their rights and privileges under law has to be removed, and that was what the NLLM, which envisions knowledge through legal education to restore that dignity to man, aimed at doing.

Mr Justice Samaresh Banerjee, Executive Chairman, State Legal Services Authority, West Bengal, said the main objective of NLLM was to render justice, more accessible and affordable to people, particularly to the deprived, disadvantaged and women. He said the NLLM aimed at education on legal rights, Constitutional obligations and right of information on the benefits of legal aid and the system of accessing legal help through the legal ser vices authorities' network.

Pointing out that NLLM was being implemented through a nationwide network envisaged under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, Mr Banerjee said the Act envisages a free legal aid programme to ensure that Constitutional pledges are fulfilled in letter and spirit, and equal justice is made available to the deprived, downtrodden and weaker sections of society.

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