The LPU School of Law organized an important legal conduction ‘Free legal assistance camp’ at its Uni-Auditorium, under National Legal Services Authority’s (NALSA’s) PAN India legal awareness & outreach programme. Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Secretary, District Legal Services Authority (Kapurthala), Hon’ble Mr Mahesh Kumar Sharma chaired the session.
On this occasion, practical knowledge about legal rights and remedies was imparted to the hundreds of participating villagers residing around the campus, students and staff- members. They were made aware of the various machinery of the justice delivery system available for redress of their grievances.
While addressing all attendees, Hon’ble Mr Mahesh Kumar Sharma took the examples of the area and elaborated about human rights in detail. He emphasized: “Utmost need is to be alert and awakened about our rights”. He also shared that this conduction is to sensitize common people about their rights as provided under the various laws including the Indian Penal Code. It will make them aware of the procedure of approaching and utilizing various channels available for the redress of their grievances such as the police, the executive and the judiciary. He added that it has become essential for all to be aware of the rights bestowed upon them by the Constitution and the procedure to remedy the situation or seek justice if they are infringed upon in any way.
District and Session Judge cum Chairman District Legal Services Authority Hon’ble Mr A.S. Grewal; Additional District and Session Judge Hon’ble Dr. Ram Kumar Singla; Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate Mr. Sukhwinder Singh; Judicial Magistrate First Class Mr. Ravi Pal Singh; and, many senior advocates were an important part of this campaign. Many Sarpanch of the villages including Sukhwinder Singh of Maheru, Ram Lubhaya of Nanak Nagri, Sarwan Singh Deo of Chaheru, Binder Kumar of Hardaspur and villagers attended the awakening programme.
Principal objective of NALSA is to provide free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of society. It is also to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities. Thus, it spreads legal literacy and awareness. In carrying out its responsibilities, NALSA works in close coordination with the various State Legal Services Authorities, District Legal Services Authorities and other agencies for a regular exchange of relevant information.
Participants got a unique chance as well to discuss their legal matters personally with the lawyers accompanying and had valuable legal opinions for the same. The know-how thus gained was expected to be further delivered to thousands of others in attendees’ respective contacts to make them aware of their legal rights.
Illustrative, the Ministry of Education, Government of India, has ranked LPU School of Law 24th amongst all government and private law institutions of India in its NIRF Ranking 2021. In another ranking, it is also ranked as the 4th best private institute in India and 1st in Punjab. It is one of India’s top law schools that implements enriched curriculum with a fine balance between theoretical knowledge and practical application. One of the 250 student organizations ‘Democrats’ at LPU had joined hands with the School of Law to organize the session with India’s constitutional vision “Access to Justice for all”.
