Journal of African Development

The problem of allowing equitable access to justice is especially complicated in Africa and India where pluralistic legal systems usually incorporate formal state law and customary and traditional legal systems. It is also complicated by the fact that the problem is complicated by geographical obstacles, economic inequalities, and the ignorance of administrative law among marginalized communities. In addition, the informality of the dispute resolution procedures in most rural and peri-urban or other environments tends to act beyond the control of the official judicial system, casting doubts on accountability and justice, especially to the vulnerable populations. In this paper, a comparative analysis of the strategies and results connected to improving access to justice in chosen African countries and India will also be conducted, and the following question will be answered: How these initiatives allow supporting the wider objectives of inclusive development. It explores the constitutional provisions, institutional practices and innovative solutions, including online dispute resolution and legal aid programs that have been used by these territories to close the justice gap. In particular, it explores the effectiveness of the legal aid mechanisms, especially in India, in giving a fair access to legal assistance to poor layers of society, thus fulfilling the constitutional requirement of the Art 39A.  ..