SLSA Conduct Para Legal Volunteers Training for UILS Students

By 1 2 1 News Reporter

Chandigarh 19^th September:-- State Legal Services Authority,UT Chandigarh  conducted The Sixth Batch of Para Legal Volunteers Training, exclusively for the students of  University Institute of Legal Studies, Punjab University, Chandigarh , today at University Institute of Legal Studies, Punjab University, Chandigarh . The training programme was conducted under the supervision of   Lal Chand. Member Secretary.

 

In order to mould the volunteers into full-fledged Para-Legal Volunteers who can act as intermediaries between common people and Institutions, detailed training programme was chalked out with primary objective of exposing volunteers to the Constitutional and Statutory rights and duties. The Programme was divided in 2 sessions.

 

The session was inaugurated by Sh Lal Chand,Member Secretary,State Legal Services Authority,UT Chandigarh ,and appreciated the efforts of the students in participating in such Training Programme and the various activites being conducted by the authority from time to time. In the Morning Session, the students were told about the working of the authority, Juvenile Justice System,Alternate Dispute Redressal Mechanism, Right to Informtion Act,Social Justice and Criminal Justice System. The Post Lunch Session was based on the Case Vignettes.  The Batch consiting of 57 volunteers were divided into 4 groups. The case vignettes were distributed among them and they were told to frame their cases on the case propositions. The students came out with their conclusion after electing their group leaders and presented their cases though him.

              

In the very inception, Rajeshwar Singh,Law Officer, State Legal Services Authority sensitized the volunteers about the role they were expected to play in helping the public at large getting "Access to Justice". They were told that they were expected to be the brand ambassadors of State Legal Services Authority and that they were to conduct themselves in a most befitting manner while interacting with the general public. The duties of Para Legal Volunteers to educate people and to empower them to live with dignity were highlighted. They were asked to keep a watch on transgressions of law or acts of injustice in their respective areas of operation and to bring them immediately to the notice of the State Legal Services Authority so as to enable it to take effective remedial action. They were also asked to generate awareness among people about the benefits of Alternate Disputes Redressal fora.

 

The volunteers were specifically told that they were not to meddle unnecessarily in the private affairs of others and that they were to step in only in the cases of transgression of law. They were told that their job was to defuse and not to ignite. They were impressed upon not to try assuming the role of Advocates as that could be counter-productive. They were also told to remain in touch with State Legal Services Authority, U.T. and to submit monthly reports of their activities.

 

Mrs Savita Saxena and Ms Alka Sharma,Advocates on the panel of the Authority sensitised the students about Marriage and Juvenile Laws alongwith the role to be played by Para Legals in such issues.