Abdullah said there is a pressing need to establish a robust coordination among legal service authorities, military legal cells, zila sainik boards, and regimental welfare offices.The establishment of dedicated legal aid clinics in cantonments and in districts with significant ex-servicemen populations should be prioritised.Equally important is the need to ensure that families of defence personnel, particularly widows, aged parents, and dependent children, receive empathetic, expert and timely legal support, he said.The CM said awareness must accompany access, and no soldier, or the family of a soldier, should be left adrift, unsure of the procedural avenues available to them.”To this end, paralegal volunteers trained especially in military legal issues should be deployed in areas with high defence populations. Simultaneously, technology must be harnessed to democratise access through mobile apps, virtual consultation platforms, and user-friendly legal information portals,” he said.”Justice in our times must not mainly be available, it must also be accessible,” Abdullah added.Referring to the tribal communities in J-K, the chief minister said they are the custodians of rich cultural and ecological heritage, and the Union territory is home to several scheduled tribes who have preserved ancient traditions while making their way through difficult terrain.He said his government has augmented its development efforts for the community, but development alone cannot substitute justice.
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