Advocate Bishnu Giri Urges Mandatory Legal Literacy Campaigns Across Local Bodies

Kathmandu – Advocate Bishnu Giri has emphasized the necessity of launching legal literacy campaigns across all local bodies in Nepal. He made this statement during an interaction program organized by civil society. Advocate Giri, who is also a member of the Lalitpur Bar Association, stated that the main objective of the campaign should be to inform and educate the public about fundamental and essential aspects of the law.

According to him, if people in rural areas are aware of which laws apply to which issues and cases, it will help in reducing crime. He highlighted that legal literacy is crucial at the local level in matters such as homicide, rape, marriage, abduction, hostage-taking, witchcraft accusations, untouchability, and discrimination.

He also stressed the need to educate the public on issues like inheritance, divorce, property disputes, donations, and document approvals through legal literacy campaigns run by local bodies.

Advocate Giri also mentioned his successful involvement in public interest issues such as online renewal systems, prioritizing COVID-19 vaccinations for journalists, and the citizenship bill introduced by the then Oli government.

Citing the principle of law that "ignorance of the law is no excuse," he underscored that no one can be pardoned by saying “I didn’t know” after committing an offense. Therefore, he emphasized that every Nepali citizen—and even foreigners living in Nepal—should have knowledge of Nepalese laws.

Advocate Giri has been conducting legal awareness programs in various local bodies, schools, and community organizations. He is also actively involved in disseminating legal education through regular articles, writings, and interviews in various newspapers and media outlets.

As a certified mediator, he has recently been serving as a trainer in legal training programs organized by different institutions. Giri also has extensive experience in journalism and has held leadership roles within the Federation of Nepali Journalists at various levels.

He has visited more than a dozen countries including South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Bangladesh, India, and China, and has participated in legal training programs at both national and international levels.