The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : High Court judges lay stress on need for a comprehensive legal literacy programme

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Sunday, Jun 26, 2011
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

High Court judges lay stress on need for a comprehensive legal literacy programme

Special Correspondent

— Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

REACHING OUT:Justice Elipe Dharma Rao (left) of the Madras High Court along with R. Vasuki, Director of Social Welfare, and Justice R. Banumathi (right) of the Madras High Court, handing over sewing machine to a differently-abled person during a legal literacy and awareness camp in Chennai on Saturday.

CHENNAI: The need for a comprehensive legal literacy programme to make weaker sections familiar with their rights and also provide them with information to enable them to assert their rights was stressed by Justice Elipe Dharma Rao of the Madras High Court here on Saturday.

Legal literacy could not simply be understood as creating awareness regarding people's rights. Any effort towards legal literacy necessarily involved a broader approach.

Such literacy meant an awareness of rights with information regarding remedies, the relevant institutions and the procedures required to obtain the solution, he said.

Presiding over a ‘Legal literacy and awareness camp for Slum and Downtrodden people,” Mr. Justice Elipe Dharma Rao, who is also the Executive Chairman of the Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority, said only by giving such a comprehensive education, legal literacy could be meaningful.

The camp was organised jointly by the Tamil Nadu State Legal Services Authority (TNSLSA), District Legal Services Authority and the Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Department. It was attended by a large number of people, including transgenders and members of self-help groups in Chennai.

Improvement in legal literacy would translate into enhancement of the financial status of people which, in turn, would take them closer to social justice and equality of opportunity.

He pointed out that legal knowledge was essential for weaker sections to fight for their righteous cases.

The need for establishing and protecting fishermen's rights had become important in view of the government's initiatives to strengthen the regulation of construction in coastal areas to protect the ecologically fragile zones.

Mr. Justice Elipe Dharma Rao said it was painful that “our poor fishermen are being taken as captives if they happen to enter into the waters of the neighbouring countries unknowingly.” If the fishermen knew the boundary line, these incidents would not recur.

Ignorance of law was no excuse. It became imperative for the people to be legally equipped.

He gave away the benefits under various schemes of the Social Welfare and Fisheries Department to the people.

Justice R. Banumathi of the Madras High Court said the legal services authority at the district, High Court and State level provided free legal aid to the poor. The people could approach them for such assistance.

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