Deoghar (Jharkhand), Nov 2 Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Monday stressed that the judiciary should ensure that the economically and socially disadvantaged people have access to legal aid, “much like a patient is treated in a hospital”.
Addressing the State Level Legal Services-Cum-Empowerment Camp in Jharkhand’s Deoghar, he said it should be ensured that people can access legal support round-the-clock.
“The time has come for India’s judiciary — at every level, from the taluka and district courts to the high courts and the Supreme Court — to understand the pain of the poor and provide a remedy, much like a patient is treated in a hospital,” the CJI said.
He said that when a patient arrives at the hospital, nurses and technicians reassure him that he would be treated. “By the time a doctor visits him, half his illness is already resolved,” Justice Kant said.
Similarly, legal aid professionals and para-legal volunteers should reach out to the poor, as well as the elderly, women, children and physically challenged persons and ensure legal support to them, he said.
The CJI virtually inaugurated legal aid clinics at Palamu and Ranchi on the occasion. He also distributed benefits among beneficiaries under various government schemes.
Earlier, the CJI visited Baba Baidyanath Dham temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas in the country, and offered prayers.
(PTI News)
