When 54-year-old Taramati Chandrashekhar Rahagude, a school dropout, proudly narrates how she helped a 14-year-old tribal girl from Nagpur get justice in a rape case, she surprises you with her sound knowledge of complex legalities.

Rahagude is just one of 136 trained and registered paralegals, a person trained in the basics of law, by the Indian Institute of Paralegal Studies in Maharashtra.

IIPLS that came up in 2002 to legitimise the role of paralegals, has over the years achieved much more than just this basic aim. First, through its work in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, it has trained and certified close to 700 paralegals across India to work at the grass root levels. Second, it has helped bridge the gap between mere social workers and professionally trained legal helpers who know that the law does not deal with injustices-it deals with illegalities. “We have identified people from the villages and trained them so they can help convert a social problem into a legal case,” says Gagan Sethi, convenor of IIPLS a project under the Centre for Social Justice in Ahmedabad. The IIPLS collaborates with partner organisations in different areas.

Trained mainly by lawyers, these paralegals help in dissemination of legal information and support investigation. “They also help in pre-litigation work which is very crucial,” says Gauri Bhopatkar, IIPLS Maharashtra co-ordinator. Paralegals work on an entirely voluntary basis. “We reimburse only their travel and logistical costs,” adds Bhopatkar.

Word on paralegals is spreading fast. Take the case of Manish Bhalerao, (22) from Mandawane village, 20 km from Karjat. When his sister-in-law was elected sarpanch of his village, there were threats from the local parties asking her to step down. “I went to a few political parties but they did not help me. That’s when I was referred to a local organisation working for women’s rights. It was here that I learnt about paralegal training,” says Bhalerao who underwent a three-month training programme with IIPLS and is now pursuing a degree in law. Today he can boast of a network of 56 villages that he visits regularly to address legal problems of the villagers.

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