SRINAGAR, JUNE 20: The Jammu and Kashmir Legal Services Authority under the guidance of National Legal Services Authority today organised a mega awareness programme on “Empowering Women and Strengthening Institutional Legal Support” at SKICC, Srinagar.
Among others present on the occasion were Justice Vikram Nath, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Executive Chairman, National Legal Services Authority; Justice S. V. N. Bhatti, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Supervising Judge for J&K Legal Services Authority; Justice Sanjeev Kumar, Chief Justice (Acting), High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh and Executive Chairman, J&K Legal Services Authority; Justice Sanjay Dhar, Judge, High Court of J&K and Ladakh and Chairperson, High Legal Services Committee besides other Judges of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh.
The programme was conceived as a common institutional platform to strengthen awareness of the legal rights of women and girl children and to improve coordination among the Legal Services Institutions, Police, Health, Education, Social Welfare, One Stop Centres, Child Welfare Committees and other authorities responsible for protection, legal assistance, compensation, rehabilitation and follow-up support.
In his presidential address, Justice Vikram Nath, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Executive Chairman, NALSA, emphasized that the effectiveness of Legal Services Institutions must be judged by whether a person in distress is able to approach the system without fear, be heard with dignity and receive competent assistance without avoidable delay.
He called upon all the stakeholders to strengthen the legal literacy, institutional coordination and grassroots outreach so that constitutional and statutory safeguards become a practical reality for women and girl children. Justice Vikram Nath further stressed that the proceedings and key deliberations of this conference should be translated into vernacular languages and circulated among all concerned stakeholders, so that the knowledge and guidance emanating from the conference are easily understood and effectively acted upon at grassroots level.
Justice S. V. N. Bhatti, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Supervising Judge for the J&K Legal Services Authority, during his special address, highlighted the need for functional grievance mechanisms, trained stakeholders and victim-sensitive procedures.
He observed that women and children should not be compelled to navigate a fragmented institutional system or repeatedly recount traumatic experiences before different authorities.
Clear referral pathways, confidentiality and accountability, he stated, are necessary for meaningful legal empowerment.
While delivering the inaugural address, Justice Sanjeev Kumar, Chief Justice (Acting), High Court of J&K and Ladakh and Executive Chairman, J&K Legal Services Authority, underscored that access to justice cannot be measured merely by the availability of laws and institutions.
Justice Sanjeev Kumar called for stronger grassroots outreach and effective functioning of Front Offices, Legal Aid Clinics, Panel Lawyers and Para-Legal Volunteers so that persons in need are guided to appropriate remedies without procedural hardships.
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