"Justice not privilege of few, but right of every citizen": CJI BR Gavai invokes Mahatma Gandhi

New Delhi [India], November 8 : Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai on Saturday invoked Mahatma Gandhi and recalled his experience at a relief camp in ethnic violence-hit Manipur's Churachandpur, terming justice as "the right of every citizen" rather than a privilege of a few people.
Addressing the inauguration of the National Conference on Strengthening Legal Aid Delivery Mechanisms at the Supreme Court, CJI Gavai asked fellow judges, lawyers and legal officers to ensure justice for the marginalised people in society.
He said, "Today, on Legal Services Day, I find myself reflecting on what Mahatma Gandhi described as his moral compass, his talisman." He said, 'Whenever we are in doubt, we must recall the face of the poorest and weakest person we have seen, and ask ourselves whether the step we are about to take will be of any use to them'. To me, this idea finds its truest expression in the movement for legal aid and in the work of our legal services institutions."
"This movement is, in many ways, Gandhiji's talisman in action. It reminds us that justice is not a privilege of the few but a right of every citizen. And that our role as judges, lawyers and officers of the court is to ensure that the light of justice reaches even the last person standing at the margins of society," he added.
Recounting his experience in Churachandpur, he noted an elderly woman's gratitude as the "true reward" of the Legal Service Movement.
The Chief Justice of India said, "One incident has been permanently imbibed in my mind. When I was the executive chairman of NALSA, a couple of months ago, I, along with my colleagues, visited a relief camp in Churachandpur in the state of Manipur to distribute relief material. An elderly woman came forward and made me with folded hands and tears in her eyes and said, 'Bane raho Bhaiya'. To me, that moment was a reminder that the true reward of the Legal Service Movement does not lie in statistics or annual reports."
"It lies in the quiet gratitude and renewed faith of citizens who once felt invisible. In other words, the real measure of our success is not in the numbers but in the trust of the common person, in the belief that someone, somewhere, is willing to stand by them," Justice Gavi added.
CJI BR Gavai visited the violence-hit Manipur in March 2025 as the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). He inaugurated legal services camps and medical camps across all districts of Manipur, as well as new legal aid clinics in Imphal East, Imphal West and Ukhrul districts.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the National Conference on 'Strengthening Legal Aid Delivery Mechanisms' and launched the Community Mediation Training Module prepared by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA).
Chief Justice of India (Designate) and Executive Chairman of NALSA, Justice Surya Kant, was also present at the inauguration ceremony.
Addressing the meeting, Justice Kant said, "The Legal Aid Movement in recent years has gone deeper and stretched its reach further. The prison programs now focus on rehabilitation rather than only punishment. Schemes that support families of defence personnel, a nationwide movement to institutionalise mediation and outreach for communities affected by human-wildlife conflicts. These are some examples of the law adapting to social realities. Looking ahead, we must make legal aid easier to obtain. That demands both administrative reforms and human practice."