📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Supreme Court of India
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CJI Surya Kant urges expansion of legal aid to India's remotest regions
✍️ The Times of India
🗓 03 Nov 2026, 09:36 AM
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Chief Justice of India Surya Kant emphasized that legal services must be extended to the most remote parts of the country.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant highlighted the urgent need to bring legal assistance to the country's most isolated communities during a recent press briefing. He pointed out that millions of citizens in tribal belts, mountainous zones and far‑flung villages remain cut off from basic legal recourse.
The CJI stressed that the constitutional guarantee of legal aid is ineffective unless it reaches these underserved areas. He cited the stark disparity between urban courts, which are well‑staffed, and remote regions where people often travel hundreds of kilometres for a single hearing.
Surya Kant called on the central and state governments, the judiciary and civil‑society organisations to devise coordinated strategies, including mobile courts, digital platforms and community legal clinics. He urged the use of technology to bridge the gap, while ensuring that vulnerable populations receive competent representation.
He concluded by warning that without decisive action, the promise of justice for all will remain unfulfilled, undermining public confidence in the legal system.
The CJI stressed that the constitutional guarantee of legal aid is ineffective unless it reaches these underserved areas. He cited the stark disparity between urban courts, which are well‑staffed, and remote regions where people often travel hundreds of kilometres for a single hearing.
Surya Kant called on the central and state governments, the judiciary and civil‑society organisations to devise coordinated strategies, including mobile courts, digital platforms and community legal clinics. He urged the use of technology to bridge the gap, while ensuring that vulnerable populations receive competent representation.
He concluded by warning that without decisive action, the promise of justice for all will remain unfulfilled, undermining public confidence in the legal system.