CJI stresses on convergence of legal aid, welfare schemes to ensure last-mile delivery of justice

Nongpoh (Meghalaya): Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant on Saturday stressed the need for convergence of legal aid and welfare schemes to ensure last-mile delivery of justice.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating an awareness camp in Meghalaya's Ri Bhoi district, Justice Surya Kant, who is also the Patron-in-Chief of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), said healthcare access, educational support, livelihood opportunities and rehabilitation assistance were being brought together through such camps to ensure that benefits reached the grassroots.

The mega camp-cum-awareness programme on NALSA schemes and government welfare schemes was organised at Marngar in Ri Bhoi district under the theme "Bridging the Gap" by the High Court of Meghalaya and the Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority (MSLSA) in partnership with the state government.

"It is very essential that under one roof all these welfare schemes implemented by government departments, organisations and legal institutions are made available to all," he said, urging all stakeholders to work in tandem to strengthen access to justice.

The CJI also acknowledged the role of para-legal volunteers in delivering legal services at the grassroots level and called for strengthening their recruitment.

Speaking on the occasion, Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan highlighted the importance of aligning traditional justice systems with the constitutional framework while appreciating Meghalaya's unique customary practices.

He also referred to Ri Bhoi's famed pineapple cultivation, remarking in a lighter vein that the people of Meghalaya were "as sweet as the pineapples grown there".

Meghalaya Law Minister Lahkmen Rymbui said the MSLSA had devised a comprehensive state action plan tailored to local conditions to effectively address issues faced by the people while remaining in consonance with national laws and policies.

Chief Justice of the High Court of Meghalaya Justice Revati Mohite Dere said the mega camp was aimed at ensuring legal help reached the people at their doorstep.

"In our democracy, justice has no distance," she said, adding that 14 such mega camps had been organised across nine districts in the past five years, benefitting thousands of people.

During the programme, dignitaries distributed assistive devices to persons with disabilities, financial assistance and work orders to self-help groups and village organisations, and certificates to legal aid lawyers and para-legal volunteers for their performance during 2025.

Later, High Court judges Justice H S Thangkhiew and Justice W Diengdoh flagged off multi-utility vehicles under the NALSA Grant-in-Aid Scheme.