LEGAL AID SERVICES: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN LAW AND THE COMMON MAN

Law is often described as the backbone of a civilised society. It sets out the rules by which people live, work, and resolve their differences. Yet a law that exists only on paper, and cannot be reached or understood by the very people it is meant to protect, fails in its basic purpose. This is where the idea of legal aid becomes important. Legal aid means providing free or subsidised legal help to persons who cannot afford a lawyer or who do not know how to approach the legal system. It is not a favour or an act of charity. It is a right, recognized by constitution of India and reinforced by statute, that ensures no person is denied justice merely because of poverty, illiteracy, or social disadvantage. When litigation has become more technical more expensive and more time consuming. In the present day, when litigation become more technical, more expensive, and more time consuming, the relevance of legal aid service has grown manifold.