Expanding The Parameter of Legal Literacy In India

Education in its crudest form is misinterpreted by the society as retaining only facts figures and other statistical data, but in reality education is self analysis and self motivation for a better life and to construct a superior society. And perhaps until one gains legal knowledge and know-how of the constitutional machinery, nobody is competent enough to establish and lay foundation for a better society. Legal literacy in its purest definition is “the elementary knowledge of law and information about the legal processes and not explicitly the in-depth advocacy.”

The facts and figures which present the literacy rate in India are futile unless the subject is aware of the basic legal knowledge.  Such legal literacy should also be popularized amongst the youth in order to safeguard the society against the atrocities of the executive without which all rights and information would only be a set of feckless text.  The drooping  in the level of the Indian civil society can be particularly accounted for as one of the reasons for condensing parameters  of the legal literacy. A legal-literate person knows about his rights-duties, his claim and privileges and all needed information to fight the unwanted supremacy of the Executive in the country. I would like to exemplify the fact with a short personal incident- A group of people devoid of legal knowledge were adamant on not getting a bail order from the Magistrate but to bribe the Police officials to postpone his arrest under the influence that the thanedaar is more powerful than the Court!! Hahaha. Seems funny but not to them who are staunch believers of the supremacy of the police and not of the law. And when we look into this embarrassing issue, we strongly feel that independence has not yet been achieved by the real  Indian. It has delimited itself only to the Parliament and the high-offices and has been curtailed by the Government to reach the common Indian. Because India is not build up with the bureaucrats who sit in their air-conditioned offices but the farmers and the common man who choose them. Hence the need of the hour is to strengthen the basic legal knowledge amongst the masses. The dropout rate in India for elementary education is 61 out of 100 which in common language means that for every  100 children admitted in class 1^st only 39 complete their elementary education and reach the secondary education strata i.e. class 9^th and the remaining 61 do not. The condition is worse in Bihar with 80.63% dropout  and the possible worst in Nagaland with around 90%. Shockingly, only 3 crore youths in the age group of 14-18 years out of the total 12 crore could be admitted in higher education institutions in the year 2005-06. When even the basic elementary education has failed to be imbibed amongst the majority of the Indians, it would be a deceit to expect wonders within years. Article 45 says “The State shall endeavor to provide, within a period of ten years from the commencement of this Constitution free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of fourteen years.”  But to utter bitter surprise even after 60 glorious years of independence the MDM(Mid-Day Meal) and other such schemes are also not enchanting enough to  impart basic education leave behind legal education.

It is this legal literacy which establishes a responsible civil society. Secondly, it clearly makes the subject assimilate the constitutional mechanism of the country. His rights and duties. The principles which he should follow. It is the most deadly weapon against the exploitation of the individual, society, sect or gender. Legal Literacy are the reins which control the Government in a country. People with better legal knowledge are not only advanced in their minds but also confident in their actions. Thus the objective of the Education Ministry and the Human Resource Development Ministry should focus on providing primary legal education to every practical citizen apart from the Civics lessons taught in schools. I do not support a particular stream of education nor I criticize any  but I would leave you with a simple question to ponder “what counts in life is not the rocket propulsion or the gravitational field within a hollow sphere but what matters are the rights against exploitation and the claim to food security.”  

Varun Tripathi

1st year BBA-LLB

Symbiosis Law School, Pune.