Gram Nyayalayas:
The Supreme Court recently said the establishment of Gram Nyayalayas across the country would help improve access to justice.
- Gram Nyayalayas, or village courts, are established under the Gram Nyayalayas Act, 2008, for speedy and easy access to the justice system in the rural areas of India.
- The Act extends to the whole of India, except to the States of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim and the tribal areas specified in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India.
- Gram Nyayalayas is aimed at providing inexpensive justice to people in rural areas at their doorsteps.
- The State governments have been vested with the authority of setting up one or more nyayalayas, after proper consultation with the respective High Court, in every Panchayat at the intermediate level or group of adjacent Panchayats at the intermediate level of a district.
- However, the Act does not make setting up of Gram Nyayalayas mandatory.
- Section 4 of the Act provides for the headquarters of the gram nyayalaya to be situated in the respective Panchayat or some other place notified by the state government.
