HCBA novel venture for poor, ‘Justice at Your Doorstep’, rolls off

Nagpur: ‘Justice at your doorstep’, a venture of the High Court Bar Association (HCBA) that aims to provide legal aid to citizens living in the hinterland, was launched by Justice Bhushan Gavai, on Friday.
Addressing the gathering, Gavai lauded HCBA’s noble thought and asked the fellow lawyers to join hands for the cause. He said, “Right to justice is a fundamental right guaranteed to citizens and we are shouldered with the responsibility to spread awareness about it.”

HCBA president Anil Kilor, secretary PS Kumbhalkar and a number of lawyers were present at the function.

The idea behind the scheme is to take legal remedies at the residence of the victims, make local people aware of their fundamental rights and ensure an elementary sense of justice and moral order in remote villages.

Discussing the realization which triggered the lawyers to plan this initiative, Kilor said, “I have been visiting small towns quite often. After observing their lifestyle and engaging in conversation with them, it dawned on me that the people are totally unaware of their basic rights given to them by the Constitution of India. Moreover, their economic status is crippled.”

Kilor said, “The villagers are not able to avail judicial facilities due to economic constraints or shortage of resources or reach. They face commutation problems in approaching court and law offices.” The HCBA scheme aims at empowering weaker sections of the society and will ensure that the citizens gain knowledge of law and justice. Pending cases where justice is delayed will be checked.

Explaining the plan of action, Kilor said there would be 11 teams in the process, one for each district of Nagpur region. Each team comprising dedicated lawyers will be led by a senior. Local lawyers of the villages and those studying law will also be given a chance to volunteer.

The drive will be flagged off on April 21 with Gadchiroli district as the first destination as it is categorized as tribal and underdeveloped. At least 10 villages of the district will be visited. Kilor said, “The HCBA move will grab attention of bureaucrats and seek their intervention to help villagers deprived of their rights, and facilitate them.”