The Hindu : National : “Make justice accessible to the poor”

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Monday, Jun 29, 2009
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“Make justice accessible to the poor”

MUMBAI: President Pratibha Patil has said that backlog of cases and high cost of litigation were the two main concerns plaguing the judicial system. Citing the old maxim, ‘justice delayed is justice denied,’ she said innovative solutions were needed to urgen- tly tackle the issue.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Maharashtra Judicial Academy at Uttan, Ms. Patil said, “Cases have taken an inordinately long time to come to conclusion and the litigants have not been able to lead normal lives, unsure of the verdict in their case.”

She drove home the plight of the weaker sections for which justice proved to be a costly affair. This made the legal justice system inaccessible to them. “As part of the Right of Equality before law, it is our bounden duty to ensure that justice is accessible to all,” she said. Ms. Patil suggested having mobile courts, particularly in remote areas, a wide network of legal assistance for the poor with the willing involvement of committed lawyers and predictable schedule of hearings.

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