Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud has urged legal services authorities to harness the power of social media to reach out to beneficiaries and individuals in need of legal services. The CJI made these remarks during his inaugural address at the 19th All India Legal Services Authorities meet held in Srinagar.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Despite the National Legal Services Authority’s (NALSA) efforts to publicize the availability of free legal aid, many citizens remain unaware of these services. CJI Chandrachud emphasized that social media could be an effective tool to reach out to these individuals. He stated,
“If they (citizens) have to depend on a lawyer to secure information about the legal services authority, then I ask myself if we have made the system accessible enough? I urge legal services institutions to become more proactive in bringing citizens within the fold of legal aid and services. One way to achieve this goal is to make effective use of social media, to reach out to the target beneficiaries.”
The CJI also acknowledged that the judiciary has traditionally been a poor communicator, but suggested that social media could be a game-changer in this regard. He said,
“The judiciary has been a poor communicator for the simple reason that we feel that we are not here to market ourselves. We are not marketing institutions. But we need to use social media, which is the effective form of communication today.”
CJI Chandrachud also underscored the importance of providing competent and high-quality legal aid to build trust among the people. He called for enhancing the capabilities of lawyers and paralegal volunteers. Furthermore, he advocated for increased representation of women and transgender individuals in the legal profession, emphasizing the need for inclusivity in legal services institutions.
The 19th All India Legal Services Authorities meet, where these remarks were made, was significant in terms of the Indian Judiciary’s perspective. It reflected the mainstreaming of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in India’s development discourse, as observed by the CJI. The event was attended by several dignitaries, including Supreme Court judges Justices Sanjay Krishan Kaul and Sanjiv Khanna, Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh N Kotiswar Singh, and Justice Tashi Rabstan of the High Court. Union Minister for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal and the Lieutenant Governors of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Manoj Sinha and BD Mishra, also attended and addressed the meet.