Access to justice is a constitutional promise yet to be fully realised. Discuss the role of the DISHA scheme in operationalising Article 39A.

Article 39A, inserted by the 42nd Amendment, obliges the State to ensure equal justice and free legal aid so that opportunity for justice is not denied by economic or other disabilities. Yet cost, distance and legal illiteracy still keep the poor outside the courtroom, making the promise substantive only on paper. DISHA — Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice — is the Department of Justice's attempt to close this gap through technology [1].

Bridging the pre-litigation gap

• Tele-Law delivers free pre-litigation advice through Common Service Centres, reaching 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in 785 districts across 36 States/UTs [2].
• Early advice prevents disputes from maturing into litigation, easing the pendency burden alongside e-Courts and Lok Adalats.

Mobilising the legal profession

• Nyaya Bandhu connects volunteer advocates with persons entitled to free legal aid under Section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987; 10,133 advocates had registered by January 2026 [2].
• This converts pro-bono service from charity into an organised State-supported channel.

Building legal literacy and monitoring

• The Legal Literacy and Legal Awareness Programme addresses rights-unawareness, the silent barrier for women, SCs/STs and rural poor [3].
• DISHA 2.0 (2026–31), a 100% centrally funded Central Sector Scheme, adds VIDHI-Sanjeevani, an integrated dashboard with an AI-enabled multilingual chatbot, targeting 3 crore beneficiaries by 2031 [1].

Limits

• Dependence on digital connectivity risks excluding the least connected; quality of advice, advocate incentives and post-advice follow-up remain thin.

DISHA thus shifts Article 39A from a Directive Principle to a delivery mechanism, treating legal empowerment as a service rather than a favour. Strengthening it through denser NALSA–DISHA convergence, outcome audits of advice quality, and offline outreach for low-connectivity regions would align it with SDG 16's goal of accessible justice for all.