Highlighting the importance of Para-Legal Volunteers (PLVs), Justice L S Jamir today said the PLVs are the backbone of state legal service and they should always be prepared to provide quality service to the needy without expecting any personal gain.
Justice Jamir of Gauhati High Court, also the executive chairman of Nagaland State Legal Services Authority (NSLSA), was addressing 37 PLVs of the state during the inaugural session of a two-day refresher training at the Administrative Training Institute here.
Calling upon the PLVs to be a bridge between the society and the legal service for delivering quality service, he said PLVs should work without expecting any personal gain.
Pointing out that some PLVs were accepting personal benefits for their services, he said "The NSLSA will not tolerate such practices as PLVs are supposed to provide free legal aid to the needy people."
Encouraging them to render legal services at the grassroot level, Justice Jamir said "We will empower you (PLVs) to help the downtrodden without accepting any personal gain."
Delivering the keynote address, Executive Director of Multiple Action Research Group (MARG), New Delhi, Anju Talukdar said the PLVs are supposed to provide legal aid to the poor, but their services should not be poor.
Maintaining that MARG has been creating legal awareness among the underprivileged section of society, she said that many people in the country do not want to approach the courts because of the cost and time involved in the legal process.
She said the PLVs have to bridge the gap between the court and the people by playing a key role in delivering cost effective and timely justice to the disadvantaged section of the society.
The two-day training is being organized by NSLSA in collaboration with Control Arms Foundation of India and MARG New Delhi and supported by the European Union.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)