Anantnag: Union Law Minister, Kiren Rijiju today inaugurated Legal Literary Club and interacted with students at Government Higher Secondary School, Aishmuqam, an official press release informed.
It said speaking on the occasion, the minister said under the guidance of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, “the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir is on a rapid path of development and the government is making every effort to ensure that the benefit reaches the rightful beneficiaries at the ground level.”
He said that the Constitution contains the law of the land and it is necessary that youth are aware of the various legal rights and welfare services guaranteed to them adding that legal literacy clubs will breed the right attitude in young minds to be ambassadors of rights of people especially the downtrodden.
The minister also visited Hardu Kichru village where a special legal services camp was held for awareness of different schemes, identification of beneficiaries and respective departments and distribution entitlements to the beneficiaries.
The minister and Chief Justice of J&K and Ladakh High Court, Justice Ali Mohammad Magrary interacted with beneficiaries of various schemes and distributed certificates and cheques among them.
A special Lok Adalat bench presided by Secretary District Legal Services Authority Anantnag Mir Wajahat and Manmohan Kumar was constituted in the village where many cases were settled on the spot.
Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that the government is committed to provide access to justice for all citizens. He said that the legal services camp is organized as part of the initiative of providing justice at the doorsteps of the public. He further added that access to justice enables citizens to have their voices heard, exercise their rights and challenge discrimination.
Later the minister inspected the under construction Court Complex of the Additional Special Mobile Magistrate Pahalgam and was informed that work on the complex is under execution in full force and will be completed ahead of the stipulated timeline.
In his speeches at different programs during the day Chief Justice said that access to justice is not confined to the court based legal services. It extends to making people aware about their entitlements under various enactments and welfare schemes and programmes and strengthening their access to the same.
He said the State Legal Services Authority and various District Legal Service Authorities have played a pivotal part to ensure people have access to legal advice. He said that the Legal Services Authorities will continue to organise legal services camps in the villages.
The Chief Justice said Students Legal Literacy Clubs are being formed with an aim to spread knowledge of the legal rights and duties among the students who in turn can raise awareness among the poor and needy to not only mitigate their problems but to get out of problems absolutely.
He said that the legal literacy and legal services programmes are essential as it is the knowledge of the law that can be used as a tool by vulnerable groups to understand and evaluate the law, to get acquainted with the scope of their rights under the law, and get their rights enforced by taking action and bringing the legal machinery into force.
He further added that being a part of the largest democracy, knowledge of law serves the people with the tool of power and self-realization and unless the people are aware of rights, they cannot live in consonance with the true dictates of democracy and rule of law.
The minister was accompanied by different dignitaries including Achal Sethi, Secretary Law Department; Registrar General, Sanjeev Kumar; Principal Secretary Justice Aejaz Ahmad Khan; Additional Solicitor General Tahir Majeed Shamsi and Joint Registrar Protocol Abdul Bari and Mir Wajahat, Secretary District Legal Services Authority Anantnag.
The events were also attended by Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, SSP Anantnag, ADDC, JD Planning, SE R&B, CMO, ACR and other Heads of Departments working in District Anantnag.
