Pauper litigant: Court access for the less fortunate

The Supreme Court noted in a recent case that access to justice by the impoverished is held sacrosanct under Article III, Section 11 of the 1987 Constitution. Without doubt, one of the most precious rights which must be shielded and secured is the unhampered access to the justice system by the poor, the underprivileged, and the marginalized.

A criticism, however, is made that the increased filing fees is anathema to the declared intent of giving the less fortunate more access to courts. This issue is partly addressed by filing a case as a pauper or indigent litigant, which is the subject of a recent Supreme Court decision. More discussions here.

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