Training of Paralegals
Setting Up of Legal Information Centres in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh
With support from UNDP India, MARG has facilitated the setting up of 8 Legal Information Centres in Bihar and another 10 in Uttar Pradesh by various NGOs to provide legal assistance to marginalised sections. These Legal Information Centres are run by paralegals trained by MARG. MARG has also trained them on case documentation and tracking systems. They are providing legal assistance in cases ranging from domestic violence, crimes against women, child marriages, denial of food entitlements, etc. They also provide assistance in filing applications under the Right to Information Act.
LIST OF LEGAL INFORMATION CENTRES SET UP IN BIHAR
| Organisation | District |
| SEWA | Samastipur |
| KDS ( Centre Direct) | Muzaffarpur |
| Mahila Uttan Samiti | Samastipur |
| Prajapati Shakshik Vikas Ewam Samaj Unnayan Sanstha | West Champaran |
| Participatory Education and Community Empowerment (PEACE) | West Champaran |
| Abhinav Chetan Sansthan | West Champaran |
| Samagra Shiskshan ewam vikas Sansthan | West Champaran |
| Sacred Heart Action for People Empowerment (SHAPE) | West Champaran |
LIST OF LEGAL INFORMATION CENTRES SET UP IN UTTAR PRADESH
| Organisation | District |
| Shree Ramanand Saraswati Pustakalya Jokhara | Aazamgarh |
| Jan Shikshan Evam Prashikshan Samiti, Attarra | Banda. |
| Tarun Vikas Sansthan, Badausa, Banda | Banda. |
| Pragati Madhyam Samiti, KarviDistrict | Chaitrakoot |
| Samarth Foundation, Kurara | Hameerpur |
| Rashtriye Jagriti Seva Samiti Nopedva, Jaunpur | Jaunpur |
| Rashtriye Jan Vikas Sansthan, Naupedva | Jaunpur |
| Nigah Seva Samiti, Salahpur Bandhva | Pratapgarh |
| Tarun Chetna Sansthan, Prithvi Ganj Bazar, Patti | Pratapgarh |
| AAWAJ Society, Sarnath | Varanasi |
Community Justice Workers in Delhi
Training of Community Justice Workers in association with the Delhi Legal Services Authority.
MARG has developed a pool of around 100 community justice workers (CJWs) associated with Samajik Suvidha Kendras, Delhi. This has been done in collaboration with the Delhi Legal Services Authority (DLSA) with support from Oxfam India.
Under ‘Mission Convergence’ of the Government of National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, 80 Samajik Suvidha Kendras (SSK) have been set up to enable vulnerable sections of Delhi to access their rights and entitlements. Each SSK has designated one of its cadre as a Community Justice Worker for training under MARG and DLSA. These CJWs have been trained on various laws, procedures, rights and entitlements. These CJWs will serve as nodal points in the community to whom the vulnerable and the marginalized can turn for help in accessing rights and demanding justice.
Who are the paralegals selected by Delhi Legal Services Authority ?
My name is Nirmala. I am from BNS Shakurpur Basti where I am working as a help desk counselor. It is almost one and half year that I am working in this field. My responsibilities include giving awareness to community members about various schemes and their rights. Community members also ask me about their rights and it involves lots of legal issues. Before this training I was not able to answer many of their questions. But during last four months of this training not only have I felt more confident but I am also now able to tell people about their rights, refer to books and show them films. Thus I tell people about law in easy language.
I have learnt a lot about Muslim marriage. Our community is a Muslim dominant area and a large number of Muslim women feel that nothing positive can happen in their life. After getting this training I am now able to tell them that it is not the case. There are so many rights a Muslim woman has been given by law. I have told them what rights they have in property, how much property share they can get. I have also given them information about their share in their own family property and the property of their in-laws. Domestic violence law has also been useful to me. It is rampant in our society.
I am Uttam Kumar Dutta from Stri Shakti Adhikar from Wazirpur Basti. I am working in this field for last two years. During these two years I have worked on construction workers and rights of women and children. I have joined this sector because I want to be part of the development and growth of the underprivileged class of our society.
In the course of our work so many times we face cases where we are in need of legal information. Without that knowledge it was difficult for us to perform well. In the last four months we have learnt a lot. We are now able to provide full legal information. It has helped in our work and it has given us confidence and made a good impact. The most important training sessions according to me were on sexual harassment at work place and domestic violence as they are strongly relevant to our field work. I work in Wazirpur Basti, in this area child labour and payment related issues are prevalent.
My name is Shashi, I am working with a GRC for last two years as a Community Mobilizer. I like my work because when I go to a community I get to meet large number of people who are so much in need. There are cases that they share with us and are not able to share with anyone else. I then give them information. Earlier I was doing the same work but after the training I now have a better knowledge of law. I am able to share more information and thus help women in the community more effectively. In my area cases related to alcoholism and domestic violence are very common.
Now we tell the women that even against this they can take action. Women feel empowered. It is not one lady but a group of women who are feeling more confident thanks to this legal information and this was all due to MARG’s training. Before this training program we had some knowledge but very little and I had felt the need for more legal information. I feel that this information is going to be very useful for my work.
Significant Cases
PIL on Prisoners Rights in Tihar Jail, New Delhi, July 25th 2012:
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the city government and the Director General of Prisons to respond to a PIL, filed by Multiple Action Research Group, alleging serious violations of fundamental rights of prisoners held in Tihar Jail.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw sought responses from the authorities concerned, and put up the matter for August 1st. The petitioners claimed that the complaint was based on reports from inmates of Tihar Jail who claimed to have experienced torture and beatings by prison officials and inmates acting on their behalf.
The petition said there was information from these Tihar inmates that “detailed various corrupt practices, the types of bribes that are demanded, and the various means by which money is collected from prison inmates”.
The petition also pointed to recent newspaper articles about HIV-positive inmates being used to attack other inmates and prisoners attacking each other with surgical blades.
The petitioners sought the court’s direction to appoint a retired High Court judge, or other independent person, to investigate the allegations. They also sought directions to establish a special human rights officer in each jail of the prison complex.
Source: The Indian Express
PIL on Leprosy:-
COURT ON ITS OWN MOTION Vs. GOVT. OF NCT OF DELHI & ORS.
A PIL was filed by Ms. Kiran Singh, counsellor of MARG, in Delhi High Court regarding Kasturba Gram Kust Ashram in Tahirpur. The settlement and rehabilitation policy of the Govt regarding the colony was changed. All the residents of the colony were benefited by the same.
XYZ’s case:-
A matter of XYZ came to MARG and with its effort her divorce case was compromised.
PIL on Vrindavan Widows
Note:- MARG lawyer also provides free legal aid through the Delhi Legal Services Authority at Patiala House between 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
LEGAL INTERVENTION
In 2011-2012 MARG provided free legal assistance through its staff and consultant advocates (Kiran Singh, Seema Misra and Sana Siddique) in 78 cases on a variety of cases. Kiran Singh also functions as a Counsellor in the Delhi State Legal Services Authority.
| FREE LEGAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY MARG | |
| Category | No. of cases |
| Violence against women | 26 |
| Child rights | 4 |
| Senior Citizens | 2 |
| Labour/Employement | 13 |
| Property Matter | 6 |
| Other Criminal Cases | 8 |
| Miscellaneous case | 19 |
| TOTAL | 78 |