Justice BR Gavai Emphasizes Unity and Legal Empowerment at NALSA’s Western Regional Conference
Supreme Court Judge and Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), Justice B.R. Gavai, on Saturday underscored the idea that every part of India is home to all its citizens, regardless of where they reside.
Speaking at the Western Regional Conference held at Ekta Nagar (formerly Kevadia) in Gujarat’s Narmada district, Justice Gavai reflected on his experiences with NALSA’s outreach programs, particularly his visits to conflict-ridden Manipur.
Sharing insights from his extensive travels to the remotest parts of the country since assuming his role as Executive Chairman, Justice Gavai said he has rarely spent weekends in New Delhi.
He highlighted his visit to Manipur, where he interacted with members of the warring Kuki and Meitei communities, distributing legal aid materials, medical supplies, and books to children affected by the ongoing ethnic strife.
Narrating a poignant moment, Justice Gavai recalled being warmly welcomed at a Kuki rehabilitation camp. “A senior lady greeted me, saying, ‘Welcome to your home,'” he recounted, emphasizing that India is the collective home of every Indian, irrespective of their region or background.
Justice Gavai also spoke about the widespread challenges faced by tribal populations in the Northeast, including in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Manipur.
He stressed the need to not only protect citizens’ constitutional and statutory rights but also to ensure they are made aware of these rights. “It is not enough to merely have rights; citizens must know about them to be able to assert and enforce them,” he stated.
To this end, he mentioned the launch of “Samvad,” an initiative aimed at raising legal awareness among tribal communities.
In his address, Justice Gavai also drew attention to a heartwarming grassroots initiative from the village of Piplantri in Rajasthan, where a man pioneered the practice of planting trees to celebrate the birth of a girl child. From a single tree, the effort has now blossomed into a forest of 40 lakh trees.
Additionally, to curb child marriages and support girls’ education, villagers collectively contribute funds towards fixed deposits for each newborn girl. Reflecting on such examples,
Justice Gavai spoke about NALSA’s efforts to tackle child marriage through the creation of a specialized Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) under the “ASHA” initiative.
Paying tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for his role in uniting India, Justice Gavai said it was fitting that the conference celebrating 30 years of NALSA was held near the Statue of Unity, a symbol of national integration and determination.
Justice Gavai also highlighted the plight of elderly and terminally ill undertrial prisoners languishing in jails. He informed the gathering that NALSA had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court seeking their release on compassionate grounds.
Pointing to the growth of legal aid networks across the country, he remarked that State Legal Services Authorities (SLSAs) and District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs) had made access to justice much more approachable and efficient.
During the conference, Gujarat High Court Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal called for a restructuring of para-legal volunteer teams to deepen the impact of legal services at the community level.
Stressing the need for a more empathetic and sustained approach to victim rehabilitation, she cited a case from the Dahod district earlier this year, where a woman was brutally assaulted by villagers over allegations of an extramarital affair.
Although institutional support was provided, Justice Agarwal said it fell short of holistic healing.
“In such cases, victims require continuous emotional support, not just official aid,” she explained. She advocated for integrating community-rooted volunteers to help victims rebuild confidence, access psychological counseling, vocational training, and reintegrate into society.
Following this philosophy, she directed Gujarat SLSA to prepare a comprehensive rehabilitation plan for the Dahod victim.
Justice Agarwal emphasized that sustainable legal empowerment requires community-specific micro-planning rather than generic awareness campaigns.
She proposed reorganizing para-legal volunteer teams to better reflect local diversity and ensure they are comprised of “right-minded” individuals capable of truly representing their communities.
Turning to dispute resolution, she praised the significant success Gujarat had achieved in using trained mediators to resolve long-pending cases through Lok Adalats. Justice Agarwal highlighted a model involving conciliation benches, comprising a presiding officer and a subject-matter trained mediator, which had substantially boosted settlement rates.
She shared that this model was first implemented during a Special Lok Adalat organized for the Supreme Court, where 40 of 286 cases were amicably resolved.
Following its success, Gujarat adopted this model statewide in September 2024. Since then, over 10,000 targeted cases have been settled in National and Special Lok Adalats, demonstrating the potential of mediation-driven dispute resolution.
Justice Agarwal concluded by emphasizing the need for continuous innovation and collaboration between legal services authorities, government bodies, NGOs, and local communities to ensure justice reaches every corner of the country.
