Access to Justice in India and the Privatization of Legal Knowledge

Abstract

This paper explores how legal knowledge is a prerequisite for “Access to Justice” in India. I begin by grounding the idea of access to justice in global definitions and discuss literature wherein this correlation has been established. The Paper goes on to argue that justice is not only about courts or lawyers. It also requires that people understand the rights they hold and the duties that bind them. A person cannot seek a remedy if they do not know that a remedy exists. This simple truth drives the core claim of the paper: knowledge is a precondition to justice, not a luxury. The Paper examines how lack of legal awareness, weak civic education, and high dependence on private legal resources restrict public participation in law. The Paper highlights gaps in school education, limited government legal outreach, and the dominance of private publishers and legal databases. These systems create invisible barriers for ordinary citizens. They reward those who already understand law and push others to the margins. The paper reviews state programmes and digital reforms, but notes that most efforts focus on numerical outreach, not meaningful empowerment. The recommends stronger public legal education, open-access legal platforms, and community learning structures. The paper concludes that a democratic society must treat legal knowledge as a public good. Only then can access to justice become real, equal, and lasting.