PM Modi addressing the event (ANI)
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that ensuring the “ease of justice” is essential for achieving both ease of living and ease of doing business, emphasising that justice must be accessible to every citizen, irrespective of social or financial background.Speaking at the national conference on strengthening legal aid delivery mechanisms organised by the national legal services authority (NALSA) at the Supreme Court, Modi said the government has taken several steps to make justice delivery faster and more inclusive in recent years and will further accelerate the process.“Justice must be available to everyone; ease of justice is a must to ensure ease of living and ease of doing business,” the Prime Minister said. Adding, “we have taken several steps to improve ease of justice in recent years; we’ll further accelerate this process.” Highlighting the importance of legal aid and dispute resolution, PM Modi said, “legal aid plays a vital role in ensuring that justice is accessible to all. I am satisfied that today, through Lok Adalats and pre-litigation settlements, millions of disputes are being resolved quickly, amicably, and at low cost. Under the legal aid defence counsel system initiated by the government of India, nearly 800,000 criminal cases have been resolved in just three years.”He added that these initiatives have helped deliver justice to the “poor, Dalits, oppressed, exploited, and deprived sections of the country.”Stressing that social justice can only be achieved when justice reaches everyone, PM noted that the “language of law should be one that is understood by those seeking justice.” He said judgments and legal documents should be made available in local languages and commended the Supreme Court for taking significant steps in this direction, “when people understand law in their own language, it leads to better compliance and fewer lawsuits,” he said.The Prime Minister also launched the community mediation training module prepared by NALSA, noting that mediation has “always been a part of our civilisation” and that the new mediation act reflects India’s long-standing tradition of amicable dispute resolution in a modern form.He further underlined the role of technology in expanding access to justice, describing the e-Courts Project as a key example of how digital tools are improving inclusion and efficiency in the legal system.The two-day NALSA conference will deliberate on key components of India’s legal aid architecture, including the legal aid defence counsel system, para-legal volunteers, permanent Lok Adalats, and financial management of legal services institutions. (With inputs from agencies)