Haryana Chief Minister, Sh. Nayab Singh Saini said that the vision of Digital India and Viksit Bharat articulated by Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi reflects a strong commitment to inclusive development and good governance. He affirmed that the Haryana Government is fully aligned with this vision, emphasizing that true development cannot be achieved unless every section of society is aware of its rights and confident about access to justice.
The Chief Minister was addressing a regional DISHA workshop held at Kurukshetra University on Sunday. The event was attended by Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Sh. Arjun Ram Meghwal, Haryana Cabinet Minister, Rao Narbir Singh, Secretary, Department of Justice, Sh. Neeraj Verma, and Joint Secretary Sh. Suresh Kumar.
The workshop, organised by the Department of Justice under the Ministry of Law and Justice, brought together law students from various universities, legal professionals, and members of civil society. On the occasion, a DISHA awareness van was flagged off, e-books on customary laws of the North-Eastern region were released, and a Doordarshan documentary was launched.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister highlighted that the Preamble of the Constitution guarantees social, economic, and political justice. He said that Articles 14, 21, and particularly Article 39 ensure equal justice and free legal aid for all citizens.
In this context, the Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice (DISHA) scheme, implemented by the Department of Justice, is a significant initiative backed by a financial outlay of Rs. 250 crore to ensure access to justice for all. He described DISHA as a citizen-centric and technology-driven initiative under which three key programmes are being implemented—Tele-Law: Reaching the Unreached, Nyaya Bandhu, and Legal Literacy and Awareness programmes.
Together, these initiatives are making the justice delivery system more accessible, transparent, and efficient. The Chief Minister said that the Tele-Law programme is a crucial pillar of the DISHA scheme. Leveraging technology, legal advice is being extended to citizens even in remote areas.
A vast network of nearly 2.5 lakh Common Service Centres has been established across the country, operating at the Gram Panchayat level and covering 777 districts. He added that citizens can now easily access legal advice through the Tele-Law mobile application and the toll-free number 14454.
Additionally, ‘Nyaya Sahayaks’ have been deployed to connect people at the grassroots level with the Tele-Law platform. The Nyaya Bandhu programme, aimed at promoting a culture of pro bono legal services, has seen 10,263 lawyers register themselves as of February 28.
He further stated that under the Legal Literacy and Awareness programme, multiple initiatives have been conducted, reaching over 1 crore 21 lakh 48 thousand people.
Haryana Implemented Three New Criminal Laws
The Chief Minister stated that Haryana has emerged as a leading state by successfully implementing three new criminal laws within a short span of time, supported by the use of modern technology. Applications such as e-Sakshya and e-Summon have been effectively deployed, and all investigating officers have been trained to upload audio-video recordings on these platforms.
He added that 2,145 video conferencing facilities have been established across police stations, forensic laboratories, courtrooms, prisons, and banks through electronic audio-video systems. At present, around 46.52% of police personnel are appearing in courts through video conferencing. Following the implementation of the new criminal laws, the conviction rate in Haryana has reached 82.6%.
Accessible Justice for the Poor must be Ensured- Union Minister
Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Sh. Arjun Ram Meghwal, while addressing the workshop, said that the DISHA programme is being organised as per the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to enhance awareness and ensure that even the poorest sections have easy access to justice. He said that initiatives such as Tele-Law: Reaching the Unreached, Nyaya Bandhu, and Legal Literacy and Awareness programmes have been launched to strengthen this objective.
He reiterated that the Constitution guarantees the right to justice for all citizens, and the workshop aims to further this goal by expanding access to justice. He stressed that the government is committed to ensuring that justice reaches every individual.
Highlighting the importance of ongoing initiatives, he said that Tele-Law, Nyaya Bandhu, and legal literacy programmes are playing a crucial role. He also noted that in line with the constitutional vision of social, political, and economic justice, Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi has ensured 33% reservation for women in political representation.
During the workshop, several legal experts and participants also shared their views, which were acknowledged by the Union Minister.