New Delhi, 28 March (H.S.):

The Ministry of Law and Justice will host a high‑profile National Consultation under the Tele‑Law initiative at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on Sunday, March 29, as part of its broader push to use technology for wider access to justice. The event, organised under the “Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice” (DISHA) scheme, will see Vice‑President C. P. Radhakrishnan attend as the chief guest, underscoring the government’s emphasis on bridging the access‑to‑justice gap through digital tools.

A national platform for digital legal empowerment

The consultation is designed to examine how Tele‑Law and related technologies can strengthen legal services and ensure that justice reaches people at the last mile, especially in remote and underserved areas. The ministry says the event will provide a national platform for informed discussion among judges, lawyers, policymakers, technology experts and civil‑society representatives.

Around 1,200 participants are expected to attend in person, with several thousand more stakeholders joining online from across the country.

One of the highlights of the programme will be the unveiling of a new AI‑powered chatbot called “Nyaya Setu,” which is being introduced as a digital bridge to help citizens understand their legal rights and navigate dispute‑resolution mechanisms. The ministry has also developed a mascot for the chatbot to make it more user‑friendly for common citizens.

A series of comic books, created in collaboration with the National Law University, Delhi, will be released to simplify complex legal concepts for youth and rural populations and promote legal literacy in an accessible format.

During the consultation, several senior officials and legal‑aid organisations will present a special publication titled “Voices of Beneficiaries – 2025–26,” which compiles inspiring stories of people who have used Tele‑Law services to resolve disputes, obtain legal advice or secure entitlements.

The event will also feature a dedicated segment on free legal services being delivered by leading law colleges in Delhi, highlighting the role of law‑school clinics and student volunteers in supplementing the state’s legal‑aid machinery.

Policymakers and justice‑sector experts are expected to contribute to a white paper that will outline a roadmap for future legal reforms, including expansion of Tele‑Law to all 2.65 lakh gram panchayats, enhancement of digital‑resolution mechanisms and integration of artificial‑intelligence tools into legal‑aid workflows. The ministry has said the white paper will help shape the next phase of the Tele‑Law programme, aiming to deliver one crore consultations by the

end of 2026.

The programme will also include a cultural segment marking the 150th anniversary of the national song “Vande Mataram,” with a performance by local artists commissioned to blend patriotic music with a message of social inclusion and access to justice. By combining technology, narrative‑driven storytelling and live interactions with Tele‑Law panel lawyers and grassroots legal‑aid entrepreneurs, the government is positioning the National Consultation as a landmark step toward the vision of “justice for all” through innovation‑enabled legal services.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar