'Ease Of Justice' Important For 'Ease Of Living' & 'Ease Of Doing Business' : PM Narendra Modi At NALSA Event

Speaking at an event celebrating the legal aid services, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that technology is indisputably a disruptive force, but with a pro-people focus, the same can serve as a tool for democratization.PM Modi opined that “ease of doing business” and “ease of living” would remain incomplete without “ease of justice.”The PM was addressing the National Conference on "Strengthening Legal Aid Delivery Mechanisms", a two-day event being organized by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) between November 8-9 in celebration of Legal Services Day.Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that justice can be considered truly accessible and timely only when it reaches every citizen, regardless of their social or economic status. He remarked that this inclusivity forms the real foundation of social justice. Extending his greetings to the judiciary and the Legal Services Authorities, he observed that these institutions have become a vital link between the judiciary and the people, enabling even those with limited means to seek justice.Highlighting the wide reach of Legal Services Authorities, Modi noted that from the national to the taluka level, they play a crucial role in ensuring equal access to justice. He pointed out that through the Tele-Law initiative, more than one crore people across India have received pre-litigation legal advice.The Prime Minister also detailed the government's ongoing efforts to simplify laws and reduce unnecessary regulations. He said that over 40,000 redundant compliances have been removed, more than 3,400 legal provisions have been decriminalised under the Jan Vishwas Act, and around 1,500 obsolete laws have been repealed. He added that many colonial-era laws have been replaced by the new Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.Emphasising the role of technology in improving justice delivery, Modi said that innovations such as e-filing, electronic summons, virtual hearings, and video conferencing have made the system more efficient and humane. The government, he added, has earmarked ₹7,000 crore for the third phase of the e-Courts project.He also underscored the importance of making justice linguistically accessible and legally understandable to citizens. When laws are available in people's own languages, he said, compliance improves and litigation decreases. Praising the Supreme Court's initiative to translate over 80,000 judgments into 18 Indian languages, Modi described it as a major step toward inclusivity in the justice system.Today, besides PM Modi, the event was graced by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, CJI BR Gavai (Patron-in-Chief, NALSA), Justice Surya Kant (Executive Chairman, NALSA) and Justice Vikram Nath.In the presence of an esteemed gathering, including judges of the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court, government officials, advocates and others, the PM launched a Community Mediation Training Module.The event began with an address by Justice Kant, who underlined the significance of free legal aid. "Legal aid converts a constitutional value into pragmatic relief - a means by which the poor, the marginalized and the invisible victims of the system can assert their rights, obtain remedies and be heard", said the judge.Justice Kant further stressed that to extend legal aid, technology alone is not enough. Rather, it must be combined with local knowledge and empathy. "Looking ahead, we must make legal aid easier to obtain. That demands both administrative reforms and human practice. Technology does offer real opportunities, but it alone will not suffice. It must be guided by local knowledge, linguistic accessibility and human empathy."The judge further said, "strengthening legal aid is not merely about expanding institutional capacity. It is about simplifying the pathway through which a person in distress can access the protection of law".Union Minister Meghwal, on his part, lauded NALSA's efforts to extend free legal aid in the past 3 decades. He impressed on young lawyers that legal aid should be viewed as a citizen-centric service. The Minister further pointed out that in 2015-16, the legal aid budget allocation for NALSA was Rs.68 crores, but in current FY, it stands at Rs.400 crores, out of which Rs.350 crores have been released.Meghwal also commended NALSA for introducing schemes which benefitted acid attack victims, disaster-struck persons, prisoners, victims of human trafficking, mentally disabled, adivasis, and elderly persons. "There is a lot of work to be done in making the legal system more flexible and sensitive. It is necessary to encourage Pro bono culture through lawyers sensitive towards society, increasing awareness through paralegal volunteers..." he added.CJI Gavai, on his part, recalled the words of Mahatma Gandhi to opine that when in doubt, one must recall the face of the poorest and the weakest person one has seen, and ask oneself if the step contemplated will be of any use to them. "To me, this idea finds its truest expression in the...

'Ease Of Justice' Important For 'Ease Of Living' & 'Ease Of Doing Business' : PM Narendra Modi At NALSA Event

Debby Jain & Amisha Shrivastava

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