ITANAGAR, March 28: Supreme Court Justices B R Gavai and Ujjal Bhuyan will visit Arunachal Pradesh on March 29 and 30 to participate in a mega legal awareness programme, Camp-cum-Sewa Aapke Dwar. The initiative, organized by the Arunachal Pradesh State Legal Services Authority (APSLSA) under the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), aims to bridge the legal gap for tribal communities, ensuring access to justice, rights, and welfare benefits.

The two-day legal awareness camp will be held in Dirang, Bomdila, and Tawang in West Kameng District, focusing on reaching remote tribal populations who often lack direct access to legal resources. The programme is being conducted in collaboration with District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs), the district administration, Gaon Burahs, self-help groups (SHGs), and the District Child Protection Unit, West Kameng.

Key Focus Areas of the Awareness Programme:
The initiative will empower tribal communities by disseminating information on essential legal provisions, including:

• The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006
• The Assam Frontier (Administration of Justice) Regulation, 1945
• The Arunachal Pradesh Civil Court Act, 2021
• NALSA’s Protection and Enforcement of Tribal Rights Scheme (2015)

Participants will receive on-the-spot legal aid, grievance redressal support, and access to welfare benefits, ensuring immediate assistance to those in need.

Justice B R Gavai, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court and Executive Chairman of NALSA, has been actively leading legal outreach initiatives. His visit to Arunachal Pradesh follows a similar legal empowerment programme in Manipur, reinforcing NALSA’s commitment to grassroots-level justice and legal aid.

As part of their visit, Justices Gavai and Bhuyan will also inspect a jail and a children’s home in Tawang, engaging with vulnerable groups to assess their legal needs. This interaction aims to ensure proper legal aid for inmates and children in need of protection, further strengthening NALSA’s legal aid network.

According to a statement from NALSA, over 1.3 lakh tribal individuals benefitted from free legal aid in 2024 alone, highlighting the impact of such outreach programmes. As per the 2011 Census, over 68% of Arunachal Pradesh’s population belongs to Scheduled Tribes (STs), making targeted legal outreach crucial for justice accessibility.

The mega legal awareness programme aligns with NALSA’s mission to uphold the constitutional promise of social, economic, and political justice. By reaching remote tribal communities, the initiative ensures that legal rights and welfare benefits are not just theoretical concepts but accessible realities for all.

With the combined efforts of APSLSA, DLSAs, government agencies, and community representatives, this event is expected to make a significant impact, fostering legal literacy, empowerment, and justice for Arunachal Pradesh’s indigenous communities.