SHILLONG: Judge of Supreme Court of India, Justice MB Lokur has stressed on the need for inclusion of basic legal education in the schools’ curriculum to ensure that the road towards attainment of justice was not marred by misconception and ignorance.
Releasing the official news letter of the Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority, ‘New Light’ at Yojana Bhavan here on Saturday, Justice Lokur said that if basic legal education and certain aspects of law was introduced in schools and included in the curriculum, ignorance of the basic legal services among the people will become a thing of the past.
“With the assistance of para legal volunteers, students can play an important role in the legal awareness aspect by providing knowledge of law, advice and to make people aware of their rights in any legal sphere, not just rights, but also duties like do’s and don’ts such as ragging, and responsibilities of an individual towards a society,” Justice Lokur said.
Elaborating on the access of justice, the judge of the Supreme Court said that the access to justice has got two facets-narrow and broad. “Narrow is something of initial view giving physical access to court and justice like traditional customary, lok adalat and different types of methods available to people for justice,” he explained.
While the broader facet has three types-legal awareness, legal aid and legal literacy wherein he stated that legal aid with respect to court involves duty of all members of legal profession to provide assistance to legal aids.
“The second aspect is the legal services provided outside court that is visiting jails, giving advice, serving notices and the third aspect is the legal awareness which include providing knowledge of law, advice, make people aware of their rights in any legal sphere,” Justice Lokur said.
Lokur has called for concentrated efforts from all sections of the society to work together, bring about justice for harmonious society and to enforce the rights.
Earlier, Chief Justice of Meghalaya, Justice PC Pant said that the right to legal aid is an instrument for dispensation of justice adding that it is a legal, inexpensive means of justice world wide.
“Legal aid is in a war against poverty, to ensure justice, dispensing social justice, brushing aside the differences created by capitalists’ Justice Pant said adding that legal aid without legal literacy is incomplete. “What is the use of having legal aid if the individuals are ignorance of the application of it in the right context?” he added.
In line with Justice Lokur, Justice Pant also impressed upon the need for basic legal education to be included in the schools and colleges.
On this occasion, the Judge of the Supreme Court of India also inaugurated the legal service clinic of the Shillong Law College. The legal service clinic of the Shillong Law College was set up recently under the NALSA scheme.