Legal Aid and Access to Justice — Amendments

Amendment	Year	Description	Impact
42nd Amendment Act	1976	This landmark amendment inserted Article 39A into Part IV (Directive Principles of State Policy) of the Constitution of India. It explicitly mandated the State to provide free legal aid to ensure that justice is not denied to any citizen due to economic or other disabilities.	Transformed legal aid from a discretionary welfare measure into a constitutional obligation, providing the foundational legal basis for the subsequent Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, and the entire legal aid framework in India. It underscored the State's commitment to social justice and equal opportunity in the legal system.