Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted that “ease of justice” is essential for inclusive growth, stressing faster, simpler, and more accessible legal aid through technology, language inclusion, and sweeping reforms to strengthen India’s justice delivery system.
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NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the importance of making justice simpler, faster, and more inclusive, stating that India’s ongoing reforms for “ease of doing business” and “ease of living” would remain incomplete without “ease of justice.”
The Prime Minister was addressing the National Conference on Strengthening Legal Aid Delivery Mechanisms and the celebration of Legal Services Day, organised by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) at the Supreme Court of India.
The event featured Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, CJI-designate Justice Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath, and Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
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PM Modi said justice becomes truly accessible only when it reaches every citizen, regardless of their social or economic status.
“When justice is delivered in a timely and inclusive manner, it strengthens the very foundation of social justice,”
he said.
He stressed that Legal Services Authorities play a crucial role in connecting citizens to the judicial system. From the national level down to the taluka level, these institutions serve as a bridge between the judiciary and the common people, ensuring that even those without financial resources can seek justice.
Highlighting the success of the Tele-Law programme, the Prime Minister said that it has provided pre-litigation legal advice to over one crore citizens across India.
PM Modi reiterated his government’s commitment to simplifying India’s legal and regulatory framework.
“More than 40,000 unnecessary compliances have been removed. Over 3,400 legal provisions have been decriminalised through the Jan Vishwas Act, and more than 1,500 obsolete laws have been repealed,”
he said.
He also noted that outdated colonial-era laws have now been replaced by modern legislation such as the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which reflects India’s evolving justice needs.
The Prime Minister highlighted how digital transformation has made the justice system more efficient and humane.
“From e-filing to virtual hearings and video conferencing, technology has made accessing justice easier for citizens,”
he said.
He announced that the government has allocated ₹7,000 crore for the third phase of the e-Courts project, which aims to enhance digital infrastructure across India’s judicial institutions.
PM Modi also emphasised that language should never be a barrier to justice. “The language of law must be understood by the people it serves,” he said, adding that when citizens comprehend legal provisions in their own language, compliance improves and litigation decreases.
He praised the Supreme Court of India’s initiative to translate over 80,000 judgments into 18 Indian languages, calling it a major step toward linguistic inclusivity and accessibility.
Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai highlighted the moral responsibility behind legal aid, invoking Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of serving the poorest and weakest.
“We must envision legal aid not as a reactive system, but as a living movement that anticipates injustice before it happens,”
he said.
Justice Surya Kant, the CJI-designate and NALSA Chairman, stressed that legal aid must be people-centric and humane.
“Technology offers great opportunities, remote legal aid clinics, online conciliations, and digital complaint portals, but technology alone is not enough. It must be guided by empathy, local knowledge, and linguistic accessibility,”
he said.
PM Modi also lauded NALSA’s role in strengthening access to justice at the grassroots level. He noted that through Lok Adalats and pre-litigation settlements, lakhs of disputes have been resolved swiftly, amicably, and at minimal cost.
He further stated that nearly eight lakh criminal cases have been resolved under the Legal Aid Defence Counsel System in just three years, a key milestone in ensuring ease of justice for the poor and marginalised.
