SHIMLA, Aug 19: Justice Kurian Joseph today said that “judiciary must be impartial and justice be delivered with human touch”, as he underlined the need for spreading legal awareness among citizens in the country.
Inaugurating a lecture series on ‘Different Facets of Indian Constitution’, organised in Himachal High Court by HP State Legal Services Authority, Justice Kurian said the judiciary must reach to the periphery where a large section of society needs justice.
He pointed out that even after 70 years of independence, 2/3rd of citizens of India having legal grievance, did not have access to justice.
Appreciating the efforts of National Legal Service Authority and State Legal service Authority for providing legal assistance and justice to the downtrodden sections of the society, he said that justice must be in the interest of the larger section of society.
He said, “there are three sections of the society – least, the last and the lost to which justice is not being delivered and it is our duty to provide them justice”.
He emphasised that legal education needs to be broadened so that every citizen of the country has access to justice.
He also mentioned that every human being is shaped by the society in which he lives, therefore, it is the responsibility of every citizen to introspect on what exactly he has given back to the society.
Justice Kurian said, “India is a secular democratic republic and the state has no religion. Every citizen has the right to freedom of religion and the Indian constitution ensures over all progress of every citizen of the country”.
He, “it is the beauty of Indian society that over centuries, it has welcomed every religion and community, so even at that time, India was a secular state”. (PTI)