Forum demands setting up of Supreme Court’s circuit bench & Human Rights Courts

Shillong, July 2: The All India Legal Aid Forum (AILAF) has urged the Centre to set up a circuit bench of the Supreme Court and Human Rights Courts especially in the North East region including Meghalaya.

Addressing media persons here on Monday, AILAF general secretary Joydeep Mukherjee said that the Forum requested the Centre to take the initiative to set up a circuit bench of Supreme Court in the NE so that a large section of people from the region will be benefitted.

“We also urged the Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma to pursue this matter with the Centre because at present it is difficult for people especially those coming from poor background to go to Delhi to appeal against any High Court orders,” Mukherjee, who also earlier met the Governor Ganga Prasad, said.

The Forum has also submitted letters of request to all chief ministers of the North East states to ensure that the Centre considers setting up of the circuit bench of the Supreme Court in the region.

Meanwhile, the Forum also urged the Meghalaya government to set up the Human Rights Court in every district and sub-divisions of the state for speedy disposal of human rights violation cases.

As per Human Rights Act, there is a mandatory provision for the state governments to set up such courts, the Forum general secretary however said most of the states in the country are without Human Rights Courts.

“The Human Rights Courts are essential for every state because the powers of human rights commission ends only in submitting recommendations to the state government, which sometimes are not taken up in the right earnest,” he said.

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