Visited Meitei & Kuki camps in Manipur, saw smiles on their faces: CJI BR Gavai at NALSA meet

Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai recently recalled visiting relief camps of both Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur, saying the experience reaffirmed the judiciary’s commitment to ensure meaningful access to justice in conflict-affected and remote regions.

While recollecting his experiences as the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), he said,

“I along with my colleagues Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Viswanathan present here and Justice MM Sundresh went there (Manipur). We went to both the refugee camps of Meiteis as well as Kukis, and we are happy to see smiles on their faces."

He was delivering the valedictory address at the National Conference on ‘Strengthening Legal Aid Delivery Mechanisms’, organised by NALSA in New Delhi. The event was attended by CJI-designate Justice Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath, senior judges, paralegal volunteers and institutional representatives.

At the valedictory session, CJI Gavai formally launched NALSA’s Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADC) digital dashboard, which enables real-time monitoring, data-driven decision-making and performance assessment by district and state legal services authorities.

In his address, the CJI said that legal aid outreach cannot be a symbolic exercise and must actively reach those living through displacement and trauma.

Justice Gavai stressed that access to justice under the Constitution demands empathy as much as procedural discipline.

“Legal aid is not merely an act of charity but a moral duty,” he remarked.

He expressed concern over delayed remuneration paid to legal aid defence counsel, panel lawyers and paralegal volunteers, stressing that such delays undermine the legal-aid movement.

“From time to time, we have come across reports indicating that payments to paralegal volunteers or panel lawyers have been delayed. As a matter of fact, when I was chairing the Supreme Court Legal Service Committee, the payments were not made for years together and therefore we had to prepare a system for payment wherein payments were routinely and regularly directly credited to the account of the counsel,” he said.

Calling the situation demoralising, he emphasised that these personnel operate out of a constitutional and professional commitment to justice rather than charity.

“Such lapses, though administrative in nature, can have a deeply demoralising effect on those who dedicate their time and effort to serving the most vulnerable sections of society. We must remember that these individuals are not performing their duties as an act of charity, but as a professional and moral commitment to justice,” he noted.

He added that volunteers and counsel must be treated with dignity and paid on time like other limbs of the justice system.

The CJI stressed that the legal aid movement requires institutional continuity rather than being driven by the limited tenure or priorities of individual Executive Chairpersons. He noted that while frequent leadership changes bring diversity of ideas, they also make “continuity and sustained implementation a challenge.”

To address this, the CJI proposed the creation of an Advisory Committee at NALSA and State Legal Services Authorities, comprising current and two or three future or incoming Executive Chairpersons.

“This committee could meet quarterly or every six months to discuss and oversee projects with a long-term perspective,” he said, adding that such a mechanism would help institutionalise vision-based planning.

Delivering his remarks, Justice Kant said the legal aid movement must not be satisfied with past successes and should now focus on deepening its impact. He said that NALSA has travelled far from being a statutory idea to becoming a symbol of “constitutional empathy”, but the coming years must prioritise consolidation rather than mere expansion.

Justice Kant highlighted that the LADC system represents a shift from fragmented representation to a structured and accountable framework. He praised the role of paralegal volunteers, calling them the movement’s “most inspiring” component.

“Rooted in their communities, they embody the bridge between the formal structures of law and the lived realities of citizens,” he said.

Earlier in the conference, Justice Vikram Nath said that the Legal Aid Defense Counsel system is crucial because it provides a structured and accountable mechanism to ensure representation for all.

“A fair trial is the mirror of society reflecting our collective commitment to truth,” he said.

Justice Nath also emphasised the importance of recognising social barriers, poverty, gender, geography and exclusion, that shape access to justice.