Spread awareness about law

SHILLONG, NOV 16: Supreme Court justice Madan B. Lokur called upon the law students to spread awareness about the law especially to the marginalised section of the society so that they can have adequate knowledge to access to justice.

Launching the newsletter of the Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority and the legal service clinic of the Shillong Law College in the city on Saturday, justice Lokur informed that the slogan of the National Legal Services Authority was “access to justice for all.” He was of the opinion that physical access to courts was not enough and underscored the importance of legal aid, legal services and legal literacy.

Stressing more on legal literacy, justice Lokur  said law students can play a very important role in spreading awareness about the law. He said, “Para legal volunteers like law students can make people aware about their rights, duties and responsibilities.”

The Shillong Law College has been churning out law graduates since its inception in the 1960’s.

Justice Lokur said, “Earlier, we used to have barefoot lawyers who would go to the people to find out whether they have any issues concerning with the law.” Calling all stakeholders to work together, he said this was imperative to build a more harmonious society.

Earlier, Meghalaya high court chief justice PC Pant stressed on the need to introduce legal topics in the curriculum from the matriculation stage.

Meghalaya deputy chief minister Rowell Lyngdoh said that people in the state, especially the poor, are not aware about the legal provisions. He, therefore, stressed on the need to enlighten these people through legal experts and law students. – By Our Reporter