Poor prisoners need more than lawyers

Maja Daruwala

Updated At : 07:05 AM Sep 01, 2026 IST

Legal aid : Nearly four crore criminal cases are pending in the lower courts. AI generated image

ONE problem that is not going away anytime soon and requires immediate remedy is prolonged and unnecessary incarceration. Too many people stay in jail for too long even before being found guilty of any crime. With this the whole notion of rule of law fails and accused and victim alike are casualties.

THE TRIBUNE, India’s oldest, daily English-language newspaper, was first published on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan), and save for 40 days in the immediate aftermath of Partition, has come out every day over the last 145 years. THE TRIBUNE was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist of the time. The newspaper is run by a five-member Trust, which is chaired by Shri N N Vohra, former Governor of J&K State (2008-2018); as well as Justice S S Sodhi, former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court; Shri Gurbachan Jagat, former Governor of Manipur; Lt Gen. Shamsher Singh Mehta, former Western Army Commander; Shri Paramjit Singh Patwalia, Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court.

THE TRIBUNE is free, objective, and independent. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language, are the hallmarks of the paper.

The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).

Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia

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Poor prisoners need more than lawyers

Maja Daruwala

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