Outlining the importance of legal aid as a tool of empowerment, minister of law and justice Ashwani Kumar has said the government is keen on improving access to justice for marginalised communities. “Injustice caused through disability of any kind is our focus and requires sustained efforts to ensure that we eliminate all barriers that result in failure of justice,” Kumar said at a seminar held in New Delhi over the weekend.

“In today’s world, it is accepted that access to justice and rule of law are essential to provide the foundation for growth, development and ultimately poverty reduction.” Stressing that an act of justice is to overcome poverty, Kumar said, “The right to legal aid is not merely a constitutional directive or statutory right but is an unalienable and integral part of the basic fabric of the Constitution.” He also stressed on greater convergence with other ministries and institutions to improve justice delivery for the poor, particularly women.

The minister also pointed out that ‘Access to Justice for Marginalised People’ (A2J), in collaboration with the UNDP, has assisted vulnerable groups in accessing legal services across the seven project states: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. “The project has reached out to 20 lakh people through legal literacy programmes.

Six thousand paralegals and 300 lawyers have been trained to reach out to the marginalised people to make them aware of their rights and entitlements, and assist them with legal aid,” Kumar said while addressing a two-day international conference organised by the department of justice, ministry of law and justice and UNDP on November 17 and 18. The conference, with an aim to share best practices to improving access to legal aid for the poor and marginalized, brought together representatives from 20 countries.

Amid discussions on legal empowerment, the panelists exchanged views on strengthening the capacity of institutions responsible for ensuring equitable access to justice. Lise Grande, the United Nations resident coordinator and UNDP resident representative, said, “Improving access to justice is essential for expanding poor people’s choices, ensuring that they benefit from India’s progressive legal provisions and are able to break the cycle of exclusion.”