Implementation of Modern Technology: Access to Free Legal Aid in India

Equal justice can be given only when equal opportunity is given to all. Tele Law and Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services): These two schemes provide that opportunity and have jointly constituted revolutionary changes in assuring judicial remedies, simultaneously launched in 2017 by the Ministry of Law and Justice. Where Tele Law ensures free legal advice through audiovisual communication, Nyaya Bandhu provides competent advocates and guarantees free legal aid or assistance for the citizens as specified under Section 12 of the Legal Service Authorities Act 1987. Thus, these programs have enhanced the scope of equal justice as guaranteed under Article 14, Article 22(1), and Article 39A of the Constitution of India or prevented the violation of the right to a fair trial. And for the purpose of, just as the Indian government has made legal advice and aid free for the helpless people, it has also ensured that these schemes can reach the hands of the people. And that would never have been possible without the help of technology, so to make their application simplified and accessible, the government has also launched two mobile apps with the same title: "Nyaya Bandhu" in 2017 and "Tele Law" in 2021, then their merged version "Tele Law 2.0" in 2023 to ensure both services in a single registration. Though technological implementation has made these initiatives a great success, there are still some obstacles to overcome. This paper tries to explore and discuss the achievements of these schemes to maintain equality and justice amongst the people, it also highlights those obstacles for their implementation as well as proposes some solutions that might help in clearing those obstacles, resulting in its smooth implementation throughout the country to ensure that the ultimate object of the two schemes is achieved.