Annual Conference & Seminar on Empowerment of Women in India at Banga Bhawan, New Delhi was organized by All India Legal Aid Forum, Supreme Court of India, New Delhi on 27.09.2013.

The programme was inaugurated by Dr. K G Balakrishnan, former Chief Justice of India and Chairman, National Human Right Commission.
Dr. Charu WaliKhanna, Member, NCW, was Guest of Honour at the Technical Session. She spoke about the need for free legal aid, role of lawyers, their social responsibility etc. and said that egal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to counsel and the right to a fair trial.

Article 39A of the Constitution of India, provides for equal justice and free legal aid. According to it - "The State shall secure that the operation of the legal system promotes justice, on a basis of equal opportunity, and shall, in particular, provide free legal aid, by suitable legislation or schemes or in any other way, to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities.

She emphasized that free legal aid should be available to all women and lawyers must fulfil their social responsibility by helping women. She said that the Commission receives a large number of complaints mostly from poor women who cannot afford to engage the services of a lawyer as a result of which they are deprived of their entitlements under the law.

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