Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that ease of business and ease of life is possible only when ease of justice is ensured. He said that many steps have been taken in this direction in the last few years.
Inaugurating the National Conference on ‘Strengthening the Legal Aid Delivery Mechanism’ at the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister said that legal aid plays an important role in ensuring that justice is accessible to all.
He said, “I am satisfied that today lakhs of disputes are being settled expeditiously, amicably and at low cost through Lok Adalats and pre-litigation agreements. Under the Legal Aid Defense Counsel system introduced by the Government of India, about 8,00,000 criminal cases have been disposed of in just three years. These Government efforts have ensured justice for the poor, Dalits, oppressed, exploited and deprived sections of the country.”
He said, “As I have said earlier, ease of doing business and ease of living is possible only when justice is also ensured. In the last few years, many steps have been taken to make justice more accessible and this will be further accelerated.”
The Prime Minister said that when justice is accessible to all, timely and when it reaches every individual regardless of social or financial background, then it forms the foundation of social justice.
The Prime Minister said that arbitration “has always been a part of our civilization” and the new Arbitration Act takes this tradition forward and modernizes it.
Noting that technology is today becoming a medium for inclusivity and empowerment, Prime Minister Modi said that the e-court project is also a good example of this in providing justice.
During the event, the Prime Minister launched the Community Mediation Training Module prepared by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).
The two-day conference organized by NALSA will deliberate on key aspects of the legal services framework, such as legal aid defense consultancy system, panel lawyers, para-legal volunteers, permanent Lok Adalats and financial management of legal service institutions.
