Addressing legal luminaries after inaugurating the 17th Commonwealth Law Conference here , the Prime Minister emphasised the need to adopt legal empowerment measures to provide poor the access to affordable legal services to bring the fruits of democracy closer to them.
While delivering the key note address, Chief Justice of India Justice S H Kapadia advocated for paradigm shift from ‘Justice to all’ to ‘Minimum Core Approach’ of the Governments especially after the Economic melt down. In his address Pakistan Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Choudhary has called upon the Commonwealth Countries to uphold the principle of rule of law, transparency and accountability in the international arena besides in the domestic administrations. India is hosting the biggest legal event after about four decades. About 800 legal luminaries, legal experts will deliberate upon a host of legal issues including Emerging Economies- rule of law and the challenges, Law reforms, corporate laws and changing economic and social conditions.
Meanwhile President Mrs. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil has urged the legal community to make concerted efforts to secure legal services for the people who are vulnerable and poor, through the free legal aid scheme. She was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of the High Court Bar Association attached with the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court Sunday .