Lok Sabha Question No. 1524 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-28
Subject: Affordable Justice to Weaker Sections
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: M V V Satyanarayana

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-1524 ANSWERED ON 28.07.2023

## AFFORDABLE JUSTICE TO WEAKER SECTIONS

## 1524. SHRI M.V.V. SATYANARAYANA:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  the  dalits,  backward  classes  and  other  weaker sections of the society are unable to get justice due to costly and complex and time taking judicial system;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government for the same; and
- (c) the steps taken by the Government to make judicial process quick, simple and affordable to all sections of the society particularly to weaker classes?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE; MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS; AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

- (a) and  (b)  Government  is  making  every  efforts  in  providing  access  to  justice  to  the Scheduled  Caste,  Scheduled  Tribe,  Other  Backward  Classes  and  other  Economically Weaker sections of the  society.  National  Legal  Services  Authority  (NALSA)  has  been constituted  under  the  Legal  Services  Authorities  (LSA)  Act,  1987  to  provide  free  and competent  legal  services  to  the  weaker  sections  of  the  society  including  beneficiaries covered under Section 12 of the Act, to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities, and to organize Lok

Adalats to secure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice on the basis of equal opportunities.

For this  purpose,  the  legal  services  institutions  have  been  setup  from  the  Taluk Court  level  to  the  Supreme  Court.  The  activities/programmes  undertaken  by  Legal Services  Authorities  include  legal  aid  and  advice;  legal  awareness  programmes;  legal services/empowerment  camps;  legal  services  clinics;  legal  literacy  clubs;  Lok  Adalats and implementation of victim compensation scheme.

- (c) To  enable  quick  and  equitable  access  to  justice,  National  Legal  Services  Authority (NALSA)  has  launched  Legal  Services  Mobile  App  on  Android  and  iOS  versions  to enable easy access to legal aid to common citizens.

Further, a scheme on Access to Justice titled 'Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice in India' is implemented by the Government of India which aims to strengthen pre-litigation advice and consultation through Tele-Law;ensure pan India dispensation framework to deliver Pro Bono legal Services through Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services) programme and to empower citizens through Pan India legal literacy  and  legal  awareness  programme.  The  Scheme  embeds  use  of  technology  and developing contextualized IEC (Information, Education and Communication) material in regional / local dialect to support its intervention and to achieve easy accessibility of legal services  to  the  poor  and  weakest  sections  of  the  society.  All  these  services  under  the scheme are provided free of cost to all citizens including the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and other Economically Weaker sections of the society.

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