India, April 17 -- Legal awareness, legal literacy and knowledge of rights are capable of freeing individuals, communities and institutions from the excesses of miscreants, criminals, wrong-doers, unfair executive or authorities or powers that be.
We need to understand that democratic governance based on self-rule by the people within legal framework or rule of law. The ex-Chief Justice of India, P Sathasivam, had once remarked, "Legal Literacy is the core basis of the survival of our Constitutional Democracy. Our entire judicial set-up functions on the presumption that all people are aware of their rights and are able to approach the concerned institution."
However, one has to acquire legal literacy consciously and effort-fully to protec...