Abstract

The right to free legal aid has been globally recognized as an essential component of a just equitable and democratic society. Legal aid serves as a bridge between the ideals of constitutional justice and the lived reality of marginalized individuals who lack financial capacity to access the formal legal system. This research paper critically explores whether the right to free legal aid functions as a meaningful reality or remains merely a theoretical promise. Although legal systems across the world—including India—have embedded legal aid as a fundamental right in constitutional and statutory frameworks significant disparities persist between law and practice. These disparities arise from systemic deficits in awareness institutional infrastructure financial resources legal literacy administrative efficiency and social empowerment. The paper investigates the historical evolution of legal aid its philosophical foundations its incorporation in constitutional jurisprudence and the manner i