Prisoners should transform themselves with positive thoughts: Justice Goutam Bhaduri
Bhilai, Oct 15: On Saturday, the country’s first Mega Jail Lok Adalat was organised on the instructions of the Chhattisgarh State Legal Services Authority, Bilaspur. The event was formally inaugurated from the Central Jail Raipur by Justice Goutam Bhaduri, Executive Chairman, Chhattisgarh State Legal Services Authority. The judicial magistrates of all the districts as well as all the jail staff attended the programme through virtual means.
The Mega Jail Lok Adalat was organized in the Central Jail, Durg. Special awareness camps were also organized for the purpose of making the prisoners aware about the laws and their rights. The special legal literacy camp was inaugurated by Justice Goutam Bhaduri in Durg Central Jail. He lit lamps and garlanded the portrait of Goddess Saraswati. Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal, District and Sessions Judge Durg; Anand Prakash Warial, Member Secretary; Pushpendra Meena, Collector; Dr Abhishek Pallava, Superintendent of Police; Yogesh Kshattri, Jail Superintendent Durg and Judges, staff and prisoners were present.
In the program, Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal,(District and Sessions Judge / Chairman, District Legal Services Authority, Durg) expressed that it is a matter of pride for the state of Chhattisgarh that under the aegis of State Legal Services Authority, cases of prisoners detained in jail for petty offenses are being resolved through compromise in cases of plea bargaining and compoundable nature. The prisoners who will be released through Jail Lok Adalat will be able to celebrate the festival with their families. The main objective of the District Legal Services Authority is to create awareness in various social matters as well as to help the weaker and backward sections. Legal awareness camps are also being organized for the under trials in the jail premises.
Justice Goutam Bhaduri in his address said that cases are being resolved of those prisoners who are detained in petty crimes; who are detained as a prisoner under trial and served half the sentence as well as whose conduct and behaviour is good in jail. This initiative has been taken by the State Legal Services Authority under “Nyayalaya Aapke Dwar”. Jail Lok Adalat is a part of Lok Adalat. The prisoners should not think that their future is to stay in jail. The prisoner should bring himself in the process of reforming through positive thoughts. He said that no person is a criminal by birth but due to some situations or out of anger, they commit crime. One can infuse energy in his body while making a positive effort towards making his life better while atonement for that crime in the Central Jail. This is an opportunity to improve, Justice Bhaduri said.
Member Secretary of Chhattisgarh State Legal Services Authority, Bilaspur, Anand Prakash Variyal said that “Prisoners should listen to the voice of their conscience and decide whether the crime they had committed was right or not. The family suffers due to the crime committed by them. Their family members suffer for no reason and run pillar to post to get them released. The Legal Services Authority provides free legal aid to the economically weaker persons and prisoners at the level of District Court, High Court and Supreme Court”.
To make the prisoners aware, Superintendent of Police Dr Abhishek Pallava, while boosting the morale of the prisoners, advised them not to repeat the crime. Giving information about the legal aid and other schemes to the prisoners, Additional District and Sessions Judge Vivek Kumar Verma explained the legal remedies to get out of the jail. Judicial Magistrate Umesh Kumar Upadhyay conducted the programme.
In the Central Jail Durg, a total of 06 benches were constituted for the Mega Jail Lok Adalat, which were presided by Judicial Magistrates. A total of 17 cases were disposed of in the Jail Lok Adalat.
