In collaboration of District Legal Service Authority, Meerut, a free legal aid and awareness camp has been organized by Sardar Patel Subharti Institute of Law, Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Meerut under the guidance of the director, Subharti Law College Justice Rajesh Chandra (former judge, High Court of Judicature, Prayagraj, U.P.) & in direction of Prof. (Dr.)Vaibhav Goel Bhartiya Dean, Faculty of Law, Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Meerut at village Itaayraa, Partapur, District Meerut. The program was convened by Dr. Ashutosh Garg, Associate Professor, Subharti Law College. He introduced all the respective guests and the program was started by the lamp lightning, jointly done by Smt. Anju Kamboj, Secretary, District Legal Service Authority, Meerut, Smt Shashi Verma, Principal Composite Vidyalaya, Itaayraa, Sh. Mam Chand Ji, village head, Itaayraa, Smt. Santra w/o Sh. Mam Chand Ji, Dr. Ashutosh Garg, (Associate Professor), and Ms. Anjum Jahan and Ms. Shalini Goel, (Lecturers) Subharti Law College.
After lamp lightning, the convener of the program invites Ms. Shalini Goel as the first speaker of the day. She told that Legal Aid implies giving free legal services provide free legal assistance to poor persons who are not able to enforce their rights given to them by law. A member of a
scheduled caste or scheduled tribe; or any person whose annual income is not more than Rupees 1 lakh is entitled to get free legal aid. Further, it was told by her about the offline free legal aid clinic at Subharti Law College as well as about the virtual legal aid clinic. Needy people can lodge their problem through the email at vidhikmitra.law@subharti.org or can sent through Whatsapp no 9639010415 or call- 0121 26678000 to get the free legal advice. The free legal aid clinic of Subharti Law College is open on all working days i.e. Monday to Saturday from 08.00 a.m. to 04.00 p.m.
The second speaker, Ms. Anjum Jahan started her address by saying that we live in a world where goddesses are worshiped and women get tamed, harassed, abused, raped, and kidnapped every single day and told about the various rights granted by various laws for the benefit of the women. Many of the women do not know their rights. Women have the right to equal pay. One cannot be discriminated against based on sex when it comes to salary, pay, or wages. Working women have the right to draw an equal salary, as compared to men. The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act gives a right to a female to file a complaint against any kind of sexual harassment at her place of work. Section 498 of the Indian Penal Code to protect a wife, female live-in partner, or a woman living in a household like a mother or a sister from domestic violence (including verbal, economic, emotional, and sexual) by the hands of a husband, male live-in partner or relatives. On the orders of a first-class magistrate, a woman cannot be arrested after sunset and before sunrise unless there is an exceptional case. In addition, the law also states that the police can interrogate a woman at her residence only in the presence of a female constable and family members or friends.
Third Speaker of the day Smt. Shashi Verma, Principal Composite School, Itaayra told the audiences about the program “Mission Shakti phase 3”.She also told about the POCSO as well as what is ‘good touch ‘and what is’ bad touch’ to the young ones. Further, she said that when girls go to their college by using the public transport facility they have to communicate the number of that vehicle with their family members.
Sh. Marchand Giri, the third speaker of the day, said that such awareness programs are very important in the village and he thanked Subharti Law College and said that Subharti Law College will continue to get their support in the future also.
In her address Mrs. Anju Kamboj, Secretary District Legal Service Authority, Meerut talked about the legal aid and who is entitled to get the free legal aid as well as what are the objectives of the legal aid? Legal aid may be taken to mean free legal assistance to the poor persons in any judicial proceedings before the Court, Tribunals, or any authority. Female rights as Women have the right to dignity and decency. In an event that the accused is a woman, any medical examination procedure on her must be performed by or in the presence of another woman. She can submit a written complaint to an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at a branch office within 3 months. The accused shall be punished with non-bailable imprisonment for a term that may extend to three years and shall also be liable to a fine. To ensure that her privacy is protected, a woman who has been sexually assaulted may record her statement alone before the district magistrate when the case is under trial, or in the presence of a female police officer. Under the Legal Services Authorities Act, female rape victims have the right to get free legal aid and arrange a lawyer for them. Depiction of a woman’s figure (her form or any body part) in any manner that is indecent, derogatory, or is likely to deprave, corrupt, or injure the public morality or morals, is a punishable offense. Section 354D of the IPC provides punishment for stalking, whoever follows a woman and tries to contact her to foster personal interaction repeatedly despite a clear indication of disinterest; or monitors the use by a woman of the internet, email, or any other form of electronic communication.
The program was concluded by Dr. Ashutosh Garg, Convener of the program. After this, he paid thanks to the Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Subharti Law College, Secretary DLSA, Principal Composite School of Itaayraa, Village head of Italy as well as the villagers of Itaayraa and the media persons.
News of this free legal aid camp was covered by the media and published in the Hindi Newspaper Prabhat Bureau, Meerut-Khabar, True-Story, The-Mazz, Vaibhav News, Shah Bulletin, Aaj ka Bulletin, Green India, and in Deshbandhu on 25/09/2021, 26/09/2021, and 27/09/2021.
