PM Narendra Modi stresses easier delivery of justice

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that ease of justice is as important as ease of doing business, and also underscored the issue of several undertrials languishing in jail for want of legal aid and urged the District Legal Services Authority to expedite their release.

The PM was sharing the stage with Chief Justice NV Ramana and other senior judges of the Supreme Court - justices UU Lalit and DY Chandrachud - along with Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju. He was addressing the inaugural session of the All India District Legal Services Authorities Meet. He emphasized that justice is very important for the country, and access to justice and justice delivery are also equally important for the society.

Prime Minister Modi said: "This is the time of Azadi ke Amrit Kaal. This is the time for the resolutions that will take the country to new heights in the next 25 years. Like ease of doing business and ease of living, ease of justice is equally important in this Amrit Yatra of the country."

The Prime Minister highlighted the place of legal aid in the Directive Principles of State Policy and added this importance is reflected in the faith of the citizens in the judiciary of the country. He said: "As important as access to the judicial system is for any society, justice delivery is equally important. The judicial infrastructure also has an important contribution to this. In the last eight years, work has been done at a fast pace to strengthen the judicial infrastructure of the country."

The PM said the government is spending Rs 9,000 crore towards modernizing judicial infrastructure for improving justice delivery mechanisms. He commended the e-court mission and use of technology in the judiciary.

He said: "Under the e-courts mission, virtual courts are being started in the country. 24-hour courts have started functioning for crimes like traffic violations. Video conferencing infrastructure is also being expanded in the courts for the convenience of the people."

Modi added that more than one crore cases have been heard through video conferencing in the country and this proves that "our judicial system is committed to the ancient Indian values of justice and, at the same time, is ready to match the realities of the 21st century."

He emphasized that a common citizen should be aware of his rights and duties as laid down in the Constitution and they should be aware of their Constitution, constitutional structures, rules and remedies, and technology can play a big role in this too.

Modi raised the issue of sensitivity towards undertrial prisoners. He said that the district legal services authorities can take up the responsibility of providing legal aid to such prisoners. He also appealed to the district judges, as chairpersons of Undertrial Review Committees, to expedite the release of undertrial prisoners. The Prime Minister complimented the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) for undertaking a campaign in this regard and also urged the Bar Council to encourage more lawyers to get involved in this campaign. (IANS)

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