Role Of Legal Aid Clinics in India

Indira Jaising once said “Access to justice is not a privilege of the rich but the right of every citizen.” This quote reinforces the democratic principle of equality. True justice is in treating everyone equally. If justice is not accessible to everyone or excludes someone then fairness is just an illusion. Rule of law does not exist in a society where legal aid and legal remedies are not accessible to all. Justice is a right, not a favour. In the Supreme Court judgment in the case of Hussainara Khatoon v. State of Bihar, which dealt with the rights of several prisoners who were kept in jail without trial, the Court affirmed legal aid as one of the obligations levied by the constitution on the state. The court also mentioned that Legal Aid is not a charity, rather it is a constitutional right of every citizen. Legal Aid Clinics are based on this particular principle that everyone must get equal access to justice regardless of their income, status or background. They play a crucial role in bridging the gap of justice in between the privileged and the marginalized sections by spreading awareness about legal rights and remedies to those who are kept hostile to it due to their social or economic status.