Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice

The Criminal Justice Initiative (CJI) provides pro-bono and low-cost legal aid service to undertrials and convicted prisoners who are unable to pay for their legal representation. CJI’s work is to defend civil liberties and to create a more humane criminal justice system. The emphasis is on greater access to justice for the poor, workers, disabled, aged, sick, tribal, women, Dalit, juveniles and other minorities.

What HRLN Does

One of CJI’s main focus areas is work inside the prison, as it believes in corrections via jails and prisons, which can only be understood by reviewing prison conditions and capital punishment laws. CJI works with progressive prison administrators and police personnel to set up legal aid clinics in prisons with the objective of representing indigent undertrials. Since 2002, it has been instrumental in setting up a legal aid mechanism for prisoners in Delhi. Though the Indian judiciary uses of death penalty, HRLN strongly believes in its abolition.

Main Concerns

·      Prison conditions
·      Practice of death penalty
·      Legislative, executive and judicial expansion of police powers
·      Organises fact-finding missions

· Work on rehabilitation for the ex-inmates

HRLN Impact

The CJI team is at the forefront of the reform work in prisons. Strongly condemning custodial torture and violence, its petition in the Bombay High Court asked for improving the visiting condition of prisoners and their families (See: Kavita Kaushik vs State of Maharashtra.)

Another landmark case decided in the Bombay High Court resulted in the release of hundreds of under-trial prisoners, who had been languishing in prisons for far longer than the maximum term of their punishment due to slow court procedures (See: Shabnam Miniwaalla Vs. State of Maharashtra). However, statistics still show that 70% of India’s prison inmates are undertrials and much remains to be done to improve the criminal justice system of the country.

training

Amta(Howrah) District Meeting

The Constitution of India provides for a federal system wherein powers are divided between the central, state, and l ...read more

litigation

Regarding 33 Terminally ill patients released due to the overcrowding in the prison during Covid-19

WPA 7252 of 2018 With WPA 4510 of 1997 With WPA 5440 of 2020 IA No. CAN/1/2020 (Old No. CAN 3147 of 2020) With WPA 8573 of 2018
Pending ( Only 33 terminally ill patients have been released)

training

State Level Meeting on Violation of Human Rights in West Bengal During Covid 19

Prior to the announcement of the National Lockdown on 25 March 2020, a number of courts had shut down in response to t ...read more

training

MEDIA COVERAGE REPORT - WEST BENGAL

Media Coverage Report of West Bengal ...read more

training

WEBINAR ON CYBER CRIME: CYBER STALKING AND HARASSMENT

WEBINAR ON CYBER CRIME: CYBER STALKING AND HARASSMENTDate of Webinar : 21st May, 2021Time: 1000-1300 hoursIn the world ...read more

litigation

National Human Rights Commission Directs State Authorities to conduct Investigation into the missing of Physically Disabled person.

Ramachandra Rout- Case No. 1091 /2021-
Disposed off

litigation

Women Tribal Hockey Players' Friendship Twisted : A new approach to Honour Killing

Rajesh Soreng vs. State of Jharkhand & Ors. WP (Cri.) 64/2020
Pending

litigation

Helpless widow mother being tortured by her Responsible Four sons and Daughter-in-laws

C-366/2020 Gita rani Karmakar Versus Raj Kumar Karmakar & Ors.
Summon Issued

litigation

Covid-19 and Prisoners Rights in Maharashtra

Archana Rupwate vs state of Maharashtra and others, Cri IA No. 1 OF 2020 In Cri PIL 15 of 2018.`
pending

litigation

Medical Termination of Pregnancy of rape victim

Raju Ravidas Versus State of Jharkhand and ors.
Disposed of

litigation

Bail Granted for non compliance with Section 50 NDPS, Act 1985

Devendra Dangi vs State of Madhya Pradesh
Disposed off

litigation

False case filed against Environment Activist

Deepak Alias Deepu vs State of Madhya Pradesh
Disposed off

litigation

50 Year old Upper Caste Man rapes a Dalit girl for over a year

Praveen Kumar v. State of Haryana
On-going Investigation

litigation

Delhi HC quashes ‘LEAVE INDIA NOTICE’ to Pakistani Woman

publication

CRIMINAL LAW: LAW FOR ACTIVISTS SERIES VOLUME I

CRIMINAL LAW: LAW FOR ACTIVISTS SERIES VOLUME I Published by : HRLN ...read more

publication

Child Sexual Abuse and the Law

This book analyses important judgement from India and abroad and is useful for advocate and NGOs when they take child se ...read more

publication

Domestic Violence and the Law

Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act, 2005 came into force on October 17, 2006. This is a landmark legislat ...read more

news_story

Forced to marry her maternal uncle: SC directs J&K Police to ensure girl’s safety

The Supreme Court on 12th October issued an order to Jammu and Kashmir’s Director General of Police in a Habeas Corpus ...read more

publication

Lawyer Shreeji Bhavsar speaks on the sexual assault and murder of 15 year old girl in Dholpur, Rajasthan #BetiBachao

Rajasthan High Court, on September 25th, 2018, issued notice to the state government and CBI in case of sexual assault a ...read more

news_story

HRLN impact | Gurgaon court convicts man who threw acid on minor boy

After Human Rights Law Network intervention, justice finally arrived for a minor male child — who was abducted and att ...read more

litigation

High Court issues notice to media houses in the defamation case filed by Fatima Nafees, Najeeb's mother #BringBackNajeeb

litigation

National Security Act withdrawn against Bhim Army founder Chandrshekhar

news_story

2007, 2008 riots: SC issues notice to Odisha govt over compensation disbursement

The Supreme Court acting on a contempt petition filed by Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) on Friday (7th September) issue ...read more

litigation

BT road 'fake encounter': Mother of victim files impleadment petition

litigation

Delhi High Court convicts 33 accused persons in Mirchpur caste atrocity case

publication

No country for its own children: Only constant vigilance and swift action can stop child rapes in India

Human Rights Law Network expresses its concern over the recent and increasingly distressing slew of child sexual abuse c ...read more

litigation

Begging in the national capital no longer to be a crime: Delhi HC declares anti-begging provisions unconstitutional

litigation

Supreme Courts judgment on #Lynching a hope for India

litigation

Delhi fast-track court punishes rape accused with 20 years rigorous punishment; Victim compensated with Rs 5 lakh

litigation

Wayanad: Biological mother granted custody of minor child, who was separated from adoptive mother

litigation

17 year old tortured in custody by officers from Mumbai Railway Protection Force dies

publication

Fatima Nafees files defamation suit against Times of India, Times Now, Dilli Aaj Tak for spreading defamatory fake news against son, Najeeb Ahmed

Fatima Nafees, the mother of missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed, last week filed a suit in the Delhi high court through Hu ...read more

litigation

Petition demanding transfer of investigation of deceased rape victim aged 20 to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) .

litigation

Court passes prison improvement measures for ensuring safety of inmates, such as CCTV footage recording and regular medical check-ups for inmates

publication

Sexual violence, physical assault, looting of property and destruction of property by the security forces consisting of CoBRA, CRPF, District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the local police in the villages of Pedagallur, Chhattisgarh

litigation

SC remands previously dismissed writ petition on torture to Bombay high court

litigation

Woman files FIR against her husband for committing rape, fraud, cheating, assault, torture and trying to poison her

litigation

Aftab Alam's brother, an under-trial, succumbed to his burn injuries after informing his family that an unknown person set him on fire in prison

litigation

8 lac compensation to the family of the sewage worker who died from suffocation inside a sewer chamber and contractor banned for 7 years

litigation

Writ filed against Police for their inaction and for directions to initiate criminal proceedings against the sexual assault perpetrators

litigation

PIL filed to demand establishment of State Commission for protection of child rights and appointment of one public prosecutor in every juvenile court in WB

litigation