Freedom fighters who battled the might of colonial powers were one of the first beneficiaries of India’s legal aid movement, Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana said on Tuesday.
The Chief Justice was speaking on the occasion of the Legal Services Day celebrations.
Chief Justice Ramana said that though the legal aid movement was formalised 26 years ago in 1995 through the Legal Services Authorities Act, its beginnings could be traced to the freedom struggle. “The actual legal aid moment started much before our Independence and during our freedom struggle. Several legal stalwarts used to offer their legal services pro-bono to our freedom fighters and fought against the might of colonial powers,” the CJI said in his address at the Sharda University in Noida.
Chief Justice Ramana said legal aid had transcended the traditional notion of free legal representation inside courts and taken on myriad forms, like spreading legal awareness, legal literacy, social action litigation, and settlement of disputes through Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) Mechanisms, among others.
Law Minister Kiren Rijiju commended Judges for their unwavering sense of duty. The Minister expressed concern over “unpalatable” remarks being made against Judges on social media and various other forums. He said many people do not understand the life of a Judge and the hard work they put in.
Mr. Rijiju said the Government and the judiciary were part of the same team whose common goal was a robust democratic nation. The Minister said the Government would work with the judiciary.
Supreme Court judge, Justice U.U. Lalit, who is also the executive chairman of the National Legal Services Authority, Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal of the Allahabad High Court and other senior judges and lawyers were present on the occasion.
