Justice must reach the poor

Justice must reach the poor

Introduction

The word justice means to act in a “just and fair” manner. Judges are addressed as “ My Lord” during trial in courts all over. This means that they must exercise their power in order to bring justice to people in need. Unfortunately, the world nowadays disregards ethics or laws and people are of the view that most things can be purchased including love and respect.

The judiciary is an important pillar of democracy and it can use its power to help disadvantaged people. Poor people must get basic amenities in order to make sure that they survive well. They not only suffer but find it difficult to get any respect any society.

Unfortunately, the justice in India is extremely slow and rare to get and those who do consider themselves very lucky.

Why justice be given?

In a world where morals are increasingly taking a backseat, hard-work and honesty are ideals which may not be able to ensure prosperity of a person. It must be ensured that justice reaches the poor as a lot of them do not even know about injustice that they go through. They get exploited by people who hire them and work on lower wages.
Getting rid of unethical practices like bribe can go a long way in increasing the dignity of many poor people who go through the harassment of dealing with sarkari babus for getting work done. Justice includes social, civil, economical and political justice. While India suffered enough under the British rule, poor people thought they would get their fair share in a free country. However, these are still elusive dreams as clumsy and complex Indian social structure continues to make them in a situation of despair. A chunk of the country’s population continue to suffer because of exploitation by higher caste. Even though India’s most important document, the Constitution, has made a number of provisions to protect them from atrocities, in reality, it is far from being achieved.

Lack of information is one of the first and foremost causes why justice still eludes many. Even though the government introduces a large number of schemes for the poor, it is ironical that they are not aware about them. One of the foremost reasons for this is because rural population is not connected with whole of India which is undergoing a tremendous digital revolution.

Many poor people are arrested in false crimes and they do not have any knowledge nor the financial power to deal with such situation. Similar cases happen to small farmers in villages who are oppressed by bigger landlords.

‘Public Interest Litigation (PIL)’ is a vital part that can be filed by any NGOs or public group for giving priority to women, rights of children, disabled person in courts.

Take for instance, the “the Manual Scavenging Bill 2012” was designed to make it prohibited by law and atrocities could be stopped on the poor, yet there are many who continue to work in this. Hence, education can make life better for people in rural areas as well. The sad part is that one of the world’s fastest growing economies is still marred by issues of caste, class which lead to exploitation of poor people. Unfortunately, the poor cannot even afford justice as lawyers are expensive to hire and at times judges are influenced by affluent people. Since judges are appointed at a high salary with all perks and the due respect that a person can get, it is extremely essential that they must use their power to bring justice to all.

The pile of cases, rampant corruption and the unending time to get justice have depressed many people and led to loss of faith in the Indian judiciary system. “ Justice delayed is Justice denied” and this can’t be more true than a country like India. Even though reservation has aided in helping many who are from lower strata of society, there are others who question the merits of this policy as a lot of people are taking undue advantage for getting what they do not deserve. Also, this is being used by many politicians for their vote bank politics.

However, there have been a lot of changes that have occurred over the last few years. NGO’s have been very active and governments have been bringing out schemes such as Janni Suraksha Yojna, Kaniya vidya dhan amongst others which are impacting people at the grassroot level. NGO’s are taking up the work of making them aware about many of their rights. These steps are likely to bridge the gap between urban people and rural people and India truly a developed country at some point. Justice would be delivered to their doorsteps if poverty is eradicated and amenities are provided to the poor.

Conclusion

There is no doubt that Indian judiciary is extremely empowered and strong and our constitution has laid down a large number of measures to protect all groups. However, developing backward societies and development of poor people are the only ways in which justice can reach the poor.