Bhubaneswar: Several students and teachers from the National Law University of Odisha (NLUO) have embarked on a visit to rural courts in the state to generate awareness and also review the functioning of these judicial structures.
The delegation is visiting several districts to document issues like auditing the functioning of Gram Nyayalaya (rural courts) and awareness of locals with regard to their right to justice.
“The discourse on access to justice is incomplete without addressing the concerns of the rural poor. In order to facilitate the access to justice at the doorstep in the rural societies, Gram Nyayalaya Act was enacted by the Centre in 2008,” a student delegate said
The LLM students of NLUO who are part of the delegation are led by Nachiketa Mittal, assistant professor of law in the university. The delegation has been auditing the functioning of Gram Nyayalayas since February 2019 across Odisha to examine the efficacy of law.
They have also been conducting a legal awareness survey concerning the understanding of the Gram Nyayalayas among the rural populace. Mittal’s team Tuesday visited Sanakhemundi Gram Nyayalaya in Ganjam district as part of the ‘Access to Justice’ course content.
The main objective, according to the delegation, was to make the students understand the functioning of Gram Nyayalaya and how justice delivery system has been working in the rural areas. Mittal said the students accompanying him observed proceedings at the mobile court conducted in some villages and interviewed the litigants as part of the legal awareness survey.
A documentary on the overall justice delivery system is also in the making with the involvement of the students who are trying to get an indepth knowledge of the grassroots issues in the legal system in rural areas.
“Problems of access to justice cannot be effectively understood by law students without visiting Gram Nyayalayas and observing its functioning. Such visits should be promoted by all the law colleges for a comprehensive understanding of justice discourse by the law students,” said Mittal.
