NEW DELHI: President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday said the “cost” and the use of English language in the higher judiciary are among the hindrances in the way of equal access to justice, and emphasised on their removal.

Addressing a conference here, she emphasised on the need to launch an awareness campaign among people, living in rural areas and those from socially disadvantaged groups, to help them make them conscious of their rights and get legal assistance. Equality is not only the foundation of justice, but a necessary condition of it too.

In practice, it means some people are often unable to seek redressal of their grievances due to several factors, the President said.

“Our principal task is to remove those obstacles. The chief obstacle, of course, is often the cost of justice,” Murmu said, addressing the valedictory session of the first regional conference on ‘Ensuring Access to Quality Legal Aid for the Vulnerable: Challenges and Opportunities in the Global South’ here.

She said that access to justice for all has been a theme close to her heart and listed steps taken to help economically disadvantaged sections of society to approach legal institutions for remedial action.

Steps taken by the National Legal Services Authority, that is, NALSA, have also played a key role in expanding legal aid, the President said, adding,“the aim, on the whole, has been to advance ‘ease of justice’. But I feel that there is a need to launch an awareness campaign to make people conscious of their rights, but also to help them get legal assistance, if such a need arises.”

There are many more hindrances in the way of equal access to justice, she said.

In India, for example, the language of the higher judiciary is English, which makes it difficult for many to understand the judicial processes, Murmu said.

“However, the Supreme Court of India has started publishing verdicts in various regional languages on its website. Legal aid institutions also help in bridging the language divide,” she noted.