Justice not privilege of few but right of every citizen: CJI Gavai
New Delhi (PTI): Justice is not a privilege of the few but a right of every citizen, Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai said on Saturday, while emphasising that it is the duty of judges and lawyers to ensure that the light of justice reaches even the last person standing at the margins of society.
Addressing the inaugural function of a national conference on strengthening legal aid delivery mechanisms at the Supreme Court premises, Gavai said the true reward of the legal services movement does not lie in statistics or annual reports, but in the quiet gratitude and renewed faith of citizens who once felt invisible.
"Justice is not a privilege of the few but a right of every citizen, and that our role, as judges, lawyers, and officers of the court, is to ensure that the light of justice reaches even the last person standing at the margins of society," Gavai said.
Gavai said the real measure of success is not in numbers but in the trust of the common person, in the belief that someone, somewhere, is willing to stand by them. "And that is why our work must always be guided by the spirit that we are changing lives," he added.
"Even your presence for a single day, your visit to a village or a jail, your conversation with a person in distress, can be life-changing for someone who has never had anyone come for them before," he said.
At the event organised by NALSA (National Legal Services Authority) to mark its 30th year, the CJI said that legal aid must not be envisioned as a reactive system, but as a living movement.
"We must not wait for distress to knock on our doors. Instead, we must continuously reflect on how society is changing in the new challenges, the new forms of exclusion, and the emerging needs of the people we serve.
"The strength of a just society lies in our ability to foresee where injustice may arise, and to reach there before it does," he said.
Gavai said as India celebrates the 75th year of its Constitution, the legal aid movement must keep carrying forward the vision embedded in the Preamble: the assurance of justice, social, economic, and political.
"The Constitution's promise will be truly fulfilled only when every person, regardless of caste, gender, language, or circumstances, feels that the system of justice belongs to them," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief guest at the event, which was also attended by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Gavai's successor Surya Kant, as well as other judges from the Supreme Court and high courts.
Justice Vikram Nath delivered a vote of thanks and said the prime minister's presence has given renewed direction and energy to the collective endeavour to make access to justice efficient, inclusive, and technology-driven.
NALSA was constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, to provide free legal services to the weaker sections of society and to organise Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes.
The CJI acts as its patron-in-chief, and the next senior-most Supreme Court judge is the Executive Chairman.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bengaluru: Four arrested for housebreaking, threats, extortion; fake PSI among accused
Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.
Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.
ALSO READ: Bantwal police arrest two men for illegal sale of narcotics, seize two vehicles, 810 gm ganja
According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.
On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.
Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.
