Sujitkumar C. Tayde, Judicial Magistrate First Class, Mumbai. (Ph.D. Research Scholar– Law) School of Law, G.H. Raisoni University Amravati, Maharashtra, Country – India
Dr. Ranjan Dubey, Assistant Professor, School of Law, Amravati. G.H.Raisoni University, Amravati, Maharashtra, India
ABSTRACT
Martin Luther King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Thus, legal awareness makes the common man fit to face challenges in real-life situations. Knowledge of laws and remedies enables a person to stand for and face injustice in society. It is observed by Hon’ble Supreme Court Judge of India, Justice Abdul Nazeer that awareness of Law prevents docket exclusion which is the outcome of people’s reluctance to approach either the police or courts and suffer injustice. It is settled that denial of effective and substantial assistance of counsel to an accused/defendant shall be a violation of the fundamental right. Legal awareness aims to empower poor and disadvantaged sections of society to seek and demand justice services. Robert Kennedy, Attorney-General of the United States of America in his Law Day Speech on 1 May 1964 said that a poor person views the law as an enemy and not as a friend. He further opined that poor person feels that the law always takes something away. Thus, lack of awareness not only creates an obstacle in the way of access to justice but also increases the pendency of cases in courts.
India has the largest number of pending Court Cases in the world. A better understanding of the common man’s legal rights is one of the key causes for the increasing number of pending cases. Legal literacy promises access to justice. It makes a litigant find out the possible ways to resolve disputes at the pre-litigation or post-litigation stage by taking recourse to the Alternative Dispute Resolution scheme and such type of approach may reduce the pendency of cases in India.
Keywords: Injustice, Legal Awareness, Laws, Remedies, Pendency of Cases, Legal Aid.
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