Strengthen legal aid for women, backward sections, says Kabir

Chief Justice of India inaugurates High Court of Tripura in Agartala

LONG-FELT NEED: Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir (right) with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar (centre) and Chief Justice of the High Court of Tripura Deepak Gupta during the inauguration of the court in Agartala on Tuesday.

Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir on Tuesday stressed the need for strengthening legal aid services for women and backward sections.

“The right to legal help is guaranteed in the Constitution and thus extension of services is necessary to benefit people at large,” he said inaugurating the High Court of Tripura, housed in a new building constructed at a cost of Rs. 25 crore here. The court came into existence on March 23.

“Besides expanding services, paralegal volunteers should be strengthened to reach out especially to rural people and women. Creating awareness of legal rights is very important,” the CJI said.

Supreme Court judge Aftab Alam, and Chief Justices of the Gauhati High Court and the High Court of Tripura A.K. Goel and Deepak Gupta, among others, were present at the function presided over by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.

Creation of separate High Courts in Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya was possible due to amendment of the North-east Reorganisation Act in 2012.

Veteran lawyers recalled that Tripura used to have a High Court before the merger of the erstwhile princely state with the Indian Union in 1949. The Union government set up the Court of Judicial Commissioner in 1950, and a Circuit Bench of the Gauhati High Court was set up here after Tripura attained full statehood in 1972.

The Bench was made permanent with three regular judges in 1992. The State government, political parties and lawyer forums had long been demanding a separate High Court in view of Tripura’s growing population and huge backlog of cases.