Blitz Bureau
SUPREME Court Judge Justice BR Gavai has said that empowering marginalised citizens is not just a matter of legal or economic support but they should also be equipped to advocate for themselves.
Speaking on the role of legal services authorities in protecting prisoners’ rights and care of their children and family at an event organised by the State Legal Services Authorities of Punjab, Haryana, and U.T. Chandigarh recently, Justice Gavai said, “Their plight becomes concerning because 76 per cent of the prisoners are undertrials, i.e. they have not been found guilty yet. Many of them may be languishing in prisons due to a lack of access to legal aid.”
Justice Gavai was recently appointed as the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority. He highlighted that a major hindrance to prisoners accessing their rights is their lack of awareness about the legal protections and services available and to address this, raising legal awareness within prisons is crucial. He expressed concern over “critically low” output in providing legal assistance at the pre-arrest, arrest and remand stage.
Referring to data the judge said, “From January, 2024 to August, 2024, pan India, 24,173 persons were given legal assistance at the Pre-Arrest Stage in Police Stations, 23,079 persons were given legal assistance at the Arrest Stage; and 2,25,134 persons were given legal assistance at the Remand Stage.”
