Supreme Court judge and National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) Executive Chairman Justice B.R. Gavai will travel to Arunachal Pradesh to personally reach out to the remotely-placed tribal communities in Dirang, Bomdila, West Kameng district, and Tawang.
Justice Gavai would be accompanied by Supreme Court judge, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, on the visit
Scheduled on March 29-30, the visit is part of a mega legal awareness camp along and ‘seva aapke dwar’ (service at your doorstep) outreach to connect with tribal populations in far-flung areas.
The Arunachal Pradesh visit would follow a recent one by a team of Supreme Court judges, also led by Justice Gavai, to strife-torn Manipur.
“In Arunachal Pradesh, as per the 2011 Census, over 68% of the population belongs to tribal communities, highlighting the pressing need for targeted legal initiatives to safeguard their rights and ensure their welfare,” a NALSA statement spelled out the reason for the initiative.
Noting that the tribal population had historically lived in remote and self-sufficient environments isolated from mainstream governance and legal frameworks, NALSA said Section 12(a) of the Legal Services Authorities Act of 1987 mandates the obligation to provide them legal aid services.
“This provision mandates legal service institutions to bridge the gap between tribal communities and the justice system by ensuring access to rights, benefits, legal aid, and other legal services,” it said.
In 2024 alone, over 1.3 lakh tribal individuals benefitted from free legal aid.
The legal aid and awareness camps would educate tribal communities on their rights under the various laws, including the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, the Assam Frontier (Administration of Justice) Regulation, 1945, and the Arunachal Pradesh Civil Court Act, 2021.
Justices Gavai and Bhuyan will also visit a jail and a children’s home in Tawang, and engage with vulnerable groups.
