Legal Literacy Plays Vital Role In Social Empowerment: Justice Rusia

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a significant initiative to ensure equal access to justice and legal awareness for persons with disabilities, the Madhya Pradesh State Legal Services Authority (MPSLSA) organised “Anugoonj”, a statewide legal literacy camp for the hearing and speech-impaired community.

The programme was conducted under the guidance of Justice Vivek Rusia, Acting Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court and Patron of the State Legal Services Authority.

The event was broadcast live through YouTube, enabling simultaneous participation across all 55 districts of Madhya Pradesh.

Addressing the programme as the chief guest, Justice Vivek Rusia said that justice is meaningful only when it reaches every section of society equally.

He stressed that ensuring dignity, equal opportunities and unhindered access to justice for persons with disabilities is a collective responsibility. He added that legal literacy plays a vital role in social empowerment, helping individuals become aware of their rights and entitlements.

Justice Vishal Mishra highlighted that equal access to justice is a constitutional right of every citizen and appreciated ongoing efforts to make legal aid services more accessible to persons with disabilities, particularly the hearing and speech-impaired community.

MPSLSA Member Secretary Suman Shrivastava informed participants about various free legal aid services and welfare schemes being implemented by the authority.

Commissioner of the Department of Disabilities Ajay Khemaria also spoke about government welfare programmes and the need for greater social inclusion of persons with disabilities.

In Indore, the district-level programme was held at the District Court auditorium under the direction of Principal District Judge and District Legal Services Authority Chairman Ajay Shrivastava.

Around 115 participants from the hearing and speech-impaired community attended the event, along with judicial officers, legal aid officials, professional interpreters and trained mediators.

Participants were informed about constitutional rights, free legal aid schemes, disability welfare provisions and services available to facilitate easier access to justice.

Many attendees described the programme as informative and beneficial and called for such awareness initiatives to be organised regularly.