GUWAHATI: Justice Ranjan Gogoi of Supreme Court of India and the executive chairman of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) on Saturday said here that extending legal services to the needy and under-privileged sections of the society had been the national commitment of the NALSA that has been providing free legal services to the weaker sections of the society free of cost.
Speaking at the inauguration of the 16th All India Meet of State Legal Services Authorities that was held here to identify the gaps, take remedial steps and chart out future course of actions for the legal services authorities, Justice Gogoi said that National Legal Services Authorities (NALSA) had envisioned to open legal literacy clubs in educational institutions to spread legal literacy in different parts of the country.
He also said that the legal services authorities had also been working to bridge the gap between the public and the agencies which are in-charge of providing rightful services to the people.
Chief Justice, Gauhati High Court Justice Ajit Singh, Judge, Gauhati High Court Justice Hrishikesh Roy, legal luminaries from across the nation and a host of other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
Addressing the occasion, Assam chief minister Sonowal said, “Judiciary is the guiding force of our country which leads the legal way for other three branches of our democracy to follow”. He also said that judiciary always plays the role of a catalyst to take the laws framed in the legislature to the doorsteps of every user.
Hailing the role of State Legal Services Authorities which was set up in the year 1998, Sonowal said that the authority during past 20 years extended free valuable legal aid to the needy people and worked for generating more legal awareness in the society. From organising Lok Adalats for disposal of long pending cases, in its initial stages, the activities of the State Legal Services Authority have become manifold. Moreover, its handling of pre-litigation disputes and spreading legal education have immensely benefited the people of the state, Sonowal added.
