Justice Beyond Courtrooms: A Call to Reach the Margins
In a compelling address at the NALSA East-Zone Regional Conference in Sonapur, Guwahati, Supreme Court judge and Executive Chairman Justice Surya Kant urged that India’s justice system must travel beyond the precincts of courts. He stressed that true justice requires reaching communities living on the margins, especially across the eastern and northeastern states where access remains uneven despite the region’s economic and cultural contributions.
The Paradox of Abundance and Vulnerability
Justice Kant highlighted what he called the “paradox of abundance and vulnerability.” The East contributes richly to India’s economy and culture—from Assam’s tea to Bengal’s intellectual traditions and Jharkhand’s minerals—yet poverty, inequality, and limited legal access persist. He emphasized that progress cannot be measured solely by GDP or statistics; it should be judged by whether justice, dignity, and opportunity are equitably distributed among all communities.
Recurring Social Challenges
During his address, the judge outlined several pressing issues in the region: child marriage, drug abuse, displacement of tribal communities, the plight of tea garden workers, and a growing mental health crisis. He cited alarming data—such as Bihar’s high rate of child marriages and Assam’s six-fold rise in narcotics cases over four years—to illustrate how these issues are interconnected phenomena within a larger framework of structural vulnerability.
“These are not separate issues,” he stated, “but chapters of the same story.”
NALSA’s Bridge Between Law and Life
To bridge the gap between law and daily life, Justice Kant highlighted several NALSA initiatives designed to reach underserved communities. DAWN (Drug Awareness and Wellness Navigation) focuses on prevention and rehabilitation; ASHA provides education and vocational training to tackle child marriage; SAMVAD expands legal access to tribal and denotified communities; and the Legal Services to Workers in the Unorganised Sector programme aims to secure fair wages and workplace dignity. These programs demonstrate an ongoing commitment to translating legal rights into practical protections on the ground.
“It is in this space of shared inequality that the National Legal Services Authority must step in as the bridge between law and life,” he said. NALSA’s mandate, he added, is to ensure law is not confined to books or courtrooms but becomes everyday justice for the most marginalized.
New Schemes and a Philosophy of Care
Justice Kant announced the new NALSA Veer Parivar Sahayata Yojana 2025, which provides free legal aid to families of defence personnel serving in difficult border terrains. He framed these schemes as parts of an “architecture of care,” drawing on the Ubuntu philosophy—“I am, because you are”—and the Indian ideal of Manav Seva Hi Madhav Seva (service to humanity is service to God).
He tempered expectations by stressing that success should be measured by concrete outcomes—whether a child in Bihar is protected from a premature marriage, a youth in Nagaland finds a path away from addiction, a tribal family in Odisha secures forest rights, or a tea worker’s children receive education and nutrition. The real test, he argued, is the translation of speeches into tangible improvements in people’s lives.
Technology, Coordination, and the Need for Listening
Justice Kant urged better coordination among agencies and the prudent use of technology to extend legal aid to remote areas, though cautioned that technology must remain a bridge, not a replacement for human access and empathy. He concluded with a powerful call to listen—to children, workers, tribes, and those battling despair—and to tailor justice to their sentiments, not merely to institutional language.
Frontiers of India’s Justice
Closing on a regional and philosophical note, Justice Kant reframed the eastern states as frontiers of India’s justice, not merely geographical borders. Quoting the Assamese saint Srimanta Sankardev, he reminded listeners that compassion is sacred, and that legal services should mirror that compassion in practice. The two-day conference—organized by NALSA, the Assam State Legal Services Authority, and the Gauhati High Court—convenes to address child rights, narcotics, tribal protections, labor welfare, and mental health, aiming to transform concern into action for those most in need.
