Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], September 30: Ukel Foundation, working for legal awareness, mediation and community-level dispute resolution, was formally inaugurated today at the AUDA Auditorium, Shela, Ahmedabad, by Hon’ble Ms. Justice Mauna M. Bhatt (Retd.), former Judge of the High Court of Gujarat.
Justice Bhatt lauded the initiative taken by Ukel Foundation and urged citizens to contribute to building a better Gujarat, a powerful Gujarat and a developed Gujarat, a society in which people cultivate stronger values and a more responsible way of life.
She asked the public to pause and introspect before rushing to court, noting the already heavy pendency before the judiciary.
Justice Bhatt also called on people to be environmentally conscious and stressed that equality of all before the law must remain the foundation of civic life.
Speaking after the inaugural address, Founder and Director Adv. Pratik R. Patel said the Foundation exists to close the distance between the statute book and the citizen.
‘Ukel,’ he noted, means solution in Gujarati. The organisation’s work is to take the law to people in the language they speak so that families, neighbours and communities can resolve conflict with information and dialogue rather than defaulting to litigation.
Co-Founder Rahul Ranjan said legal literacy and accessible publishing of knowledge must travel together if awareness is to last beyond a single campaign.
The programme included an introductory film on the Foundation’s purpose, remarks by members of the Board, the unveiling of Ukel Bhai, the Foundation’s public-facing character for legal awareness in simple language, a short film on its work, and a special play on awareness and amicable resolution.
Board members associated with the Foundation are Alka Palrecha, Adv. Dhaval P. Patel, Devang Parmar, Adv. Rajesh N. Modi and Adv. Dipali Patel.
Ukel Foundation works on four linked pillars: dispute prevention, legal awareness in local languages, community models aimed at reducing needless litigation, and relief to the justice system by resolving matters at the community level. Its tools include awareness camps, mediation, workshops, and comics designed with legal professionals so that rights around family, property, tenancy, workplace, women and consumers can be understood without fear or jargon.
The Foundation invited citizens, institutions and volunteers to join the effort so that more disputes are settled with understanding, and the courts are reserved for the cases that truly belong there.
About Rs Two Lakhs were also collected from the guests during instant donation conducted live during the event.
About Ukel Foundation
Ukel Foundation bridges the gap between law and society through awareness, mediation and community engagement.
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