India, Dec. 7 -- Justice in India is often reduced to a privilege availabile omly to those who can afford it. For millions - undertrials, migrant labourers, women escaping violence, children in conflict with the low, victims of trafficking - the courtroom remains a distant and intimidating space that demands resources they do not possess. While the Constitution promises equality before the law, the lived experience of the poor exposes a system where rights exist in theory but rarely materialise in practice.

Free legal aid was conceived as the bridge between constitutional ideals and this harsh reality. Over the years, India has built a strong normative and institutional framework for legal aid. Yet despite judicial vision, legislative su...