Durg DLSA Takes 'Justice on Wheels' Via Bullock Cart On Hareli, Covers 5 Villages In 5 Days For Community Mediation
The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Durg, conducted a five-day grassroots legal awareness and community mediation campaign covering five villages under the initiative “Five Villages, Five Days, One Resolve — Resolution Through Dialogue, Not Dispute.”
The initiative was conducted under the guidance of K. Vinod Kujur, Principal District & Sessions Judge and Chairman, DLSA Durg, with the objective of taking legal awareness and access to justice directly to rural communities through village chaupals.
'Justice on Wheels' On Hareli
The highlight of the campaign was at Gram Nikum on the occasion of Hareli, the traditional harvest festival of Chhattisgarh. The DLSA team decorated a traditional bullock cart as “Justice on Wheels” and travelled through the village along with law students, faculty members and Para-Legal Volunteers.
The outreach team comprised Sushma Lakra, President, Permanent Lok Adalat; Bhupesh Kumar Basant, Chief Judicial Magistrate; and Umesh Kumar Bhagwatkar, Secretary, DLSA Durg. The campaign also included tree plantation activities, linking environmental sustainability with social justice.
Legal Awareness Across Five Villages
The campaign covered Ghughsidih, Nankatthi, Arsanara, Nikum and Kuthrel. Law students and faculty members from law colleges in Durg, including Kalyan Law College, participated alongside DLSA officials, PLVs and trained community mediators.
The team conducted street rallies and interactive sessions on free legal aid, Lok Adalats, digital safety and community mediation. Villagers were encouraged to resolve family, neighbourhood and property disputes amicably through pre-litigation mediation rather than allowing minor disagreements to develop into prolonged litigation.
At Nankatthi, sessions were held on legal rights, career opportunities and digital safety, with students being advised never to share OTPs, avoid suspicious links and protect their banking and personal information.
At Kuthrel, Chhattisgarhi folk songs were used to raise awareness about Tonhi (witch-hunting), de-addiction, child protection through Good Touch and Bad Touch awareness, and crime-free villages.
At Arsanara and Ghughsidih, the team highlighted the importance of resolving minor disputes at an early stage to preserve trust and harmony within families and communities.
The initiative emphasised the importance of ADR and pre-litigation mediation under the Mediation Act, highlighting the need to resolve disputes at the grassroots level and reduce unnecessary litigation.
The campaign sought to demonstrate that justice need not remain confined to courtrooms and can reach communities through dialogue, awareness and accessible legal services.