‘16 years after notification, district human rights courts yet to be formed’

“There were 20,165 pending cases with the State Human Rights Commission in 2016. SHRC alone can’t do all the work, so there is an urgent need of functional district human rights courts, for speedy and accessible justice for the victims.”

Written by Jagruti Katkar

Human rights activists have slammed the state government for failing to set up district rights courts in the state, despite issuing a notification for the same in 2001.

Stating that the notification was issued by the state governor in May 2001, Asim Sarode, rights activist, said: “Our government has promised to adhere to Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but it has failed to provide justice to victims of human rights crimes.” He was speaking at Patrakar Bhavan, on the eve of International Human Rights Day on December 10 .

“The Human Rights Protection Act, 1993, envisages establishing human rights courts at district level, with appointment of public prosecutors. It empowers the state government to specify rules and procedures of working of these courts. On many occasions, we have taken up this issue with the state government, but it is reluctant to make a draft of those procedures. So, our team has prepared the draft and submitted it to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the law and judiciary department,” he added.

The team includes Dilip Dharmadhikari, Arunima (Gujarat National Law University), Nidhi and Charvi Gupta (Bharati Vidyapeeth Law College), Kajal Mandge (Shanka-rrao Chavan Law College) and Dipak Chatap (ILS Law College).

“I have even filed a PIL in Bombay High Court in November 2016 regarding this,” Sarode added.

He said the government should frame rules and efficiently implement the Protection of Human Rights Act, adding that it would improve the criminal justice system and victims would get justice. “We are ready to work with the state government for this,” he said, adding that police officials and public prosecutors should be trained to handle cases of human rights violations.

“There were 20,165 pending cases with the State Human Rights Commission in 2016. SHRC alone can’t do all the work, so there is an urgent need of functional district human rights courts, for speedy and accessible justice for the victimsz,” said Dipak Chatap.

Ranjit Patil, minister of state for law and judiciary, said, “It is true that the government has not yet specified the rules for district human rights courts, as per the Human Rights Protection Act of 1993. But I assure all the activists that we will take this issue up in the upcoming Winter Session of the Legislative Assembly.”