HT Correspondent
DIMAPUR, June 20: Justice Y Longkumer, Judge of Gauhati High Court, Kohima bench, on Friday called for deeper engagement with law, greater professional development and renewed commitment to justice by the lawyers.
She said the panel lawyers, who often serve as the first line of access to justice for the marginalised and under-represented, now play a unique and essential role as educators, advisors and counsellors for common citizens at a time when the Indian legal system is undergoing a pivotal transition with the introduction of new criminal laws.
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Longkumer was speaking at the one-day orientation programme organised by the Nagaland State Legal Services Authority on new criminal laws – Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) – for panel/retainer lawyers and Legal Aid Defence Counsel System lawyers in Kohima.
She said the Indian criminal justice system is undergoing significant reforms with the introduction of the BNS, BNSS and BSA, replacing the IPC, CrPC and Indian Evidence Act.
“These new legislative reforms are not just mere cosmetic changes but represent a new way of thinking on how the justice system is perceived, delivered and experienced by the common citizens,” Longkumer said.
She said the lawyers, who serve in the legal services panel, are often the first line of access to justice for the marginalised and under-represented, and their role now is more important than ever.
“You have to learn to adapt to changes with professionalism and as it is with any legal transition, there will be challenges and uncertainties in the interpretation”, the judge said.
On existing practical difficulties, Longkumer cited the existence of different interpretations and sources, questions and the practical burden of unlearning and relearning while observing that now they have to change their mindset and start to unlearn the IPC, CrPC and learn the new laws.
