Legal awareness programme held at Central Jail Srinagar

Srinagar, Oct 4: The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Budgam, organised the chain of events under the leaderships of Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh and Patron-in-Chief, J&K Legal Services Authority, Justice Arun Palli, and Executive Chairman, J&K Legal Services Authority, Justice Sanjeev Kumar.

The programmes were conducted under the directions of Member Secretary, J&K Legal Services Authority, Shazia Tabassum and under the supervision of Chairman, District Legal Services Authority Budgam, O.P. Bhagat, and under the guidance of Secretary, DLSA Budgam, Nusrat Ali Hakak.

The objective of the events/programmes was to educate jail inmates about their legal rights and entitlements at various stages of the criminal justice process specifically during Pre-Arrest, Arrest, and Remand and to verify the status of sentence completion remission, Parole & release orders, record any instance of over incarceration etc.

DLSA Budgam had deputed its LADC’s viz Lateef Ahmad Khan (Chief LADC), Nazir Ahmad Wagay (Deputy LADC), and Yawar Ali (Assistant LADC) to the Central Jail Srinagar who held discussions with the jail inmates and also covered essential legal aspects such as bail, parole, and furlough, with the aim of empowering prisoners to understand and assert their rights effectively. LADCs checked with the Jail authorities the status of the sentence completion etc. identified the UTP’s for UTC and deliberated upon the assignments. On the occasion, Chief LADC Budgam, elaborated on Access to Justice at the Pre-Arrest, Arrest, and Remand Stages, emphasising the importance of seeking timely legal aid and assistance. He also discussed the concepts of parole and furlough, explaining their procedures and benefits for eligible inmates.

Deputy LADC Budgam, highlighted the legal rights of individuals during the pre-arrest, arrest, and remand stages. He focused on key aspects such as bail, detention, the right to legal representation, and provisions related to premature release, parole, and furlough of prisoners under the Prisoners Rules, 2022.

Assistant LADC Budgam, spoke on the procedures concerning premature release, parole, and the rights of under-trial prisoners. He also interacted with prison authorities and inmates, stressing the importance of adhering to the latest Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and ensuring that the legal and human rights of prisoners are duly protected.