The Supreme Court ruled that a plea to extend the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) Women Integrated Help System across India was not justiciable. The court, consisting of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, observed that NALSA could consider the matter on the administrative side. The system has been successfully piloted in Jammu and Kashmir and Chhattisgarh for over three years.
The plea aimed to extend the system, which provides hassle-free access to justice for women survivors of violence, across all states and union territories, however, the apex court granted six weeks for NALSA's counsel to present their viewpoint on the issue, highlighting the success of pilot projects and arguing that extending the system nationwide would not require a special budget. Advocate Colin Gonsalves appeared for the petitioners and was directed by the bench that these matters were not justiciable.
The apex court requested a report from NALSA on the successful project of a technology-integrated system for women and girls’ survivors of violence. The system, which has been operating in Jammu and Kashmir, and Chhattisgarh for three years, provides easy access to the criminal justice system and empowers them. The petitioners argue that extending the system nationwide would not require a special budget, as existing schemes are already funded and the technology required was also freely available.
