Legal Aid Clinic for marginalized community reopened at CoNE office
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 03 2021:
The only Legal Aid Clinic (LAC) for marginalized communities in the State which had remained non-functional for quite some time has been revived and officially reopened at the office premises of Community Network for Empowerment (CoNE) at Keishamthong Hodam Leirak Machin, Sega Road, Imphal West, today.
The official reopening of the LAC was attended by Member Secretary, Gaiphulshillu Golmei and Deputy Member Secretary of Manipur State Legal Services Authority (MASLSA), Sorokhaibam Sadananda, said a statement of CoNE.
Addressing the programme, Gaiphulshillu Golmei while expressing happiness and contentment over the efforts of team CoNE in trying to revive the clinic at a time when all non-functional legal aid clinics across the State have been notified and closed down with immediate effect, described it as a major achievement of CoNE and wished the team every success and also appealed to perform their best in helping the marginalized communities.
She further recalled that the legal aid clinic earlier opened at the office of CoNE was shut down due to non-performance of the clinic.
However, after considering the explanation provided by the Coordinator of LAC, CoNE and also considering the need of an organisation which takes up issues related to marginalized communities including people who use drugs, people living with HIV, men having sex with men and female sex workers, the Executive Chairman of MASLSA finally approved the re-opening of the LAC, CoNE at the new location - office premises of CoNE, Keishamthong Hodam Leirak Machin, Sega Road along with a condition to sit only twice a week, it added.
Gaiphulshillu Golmei also expressed confidence of going along smoothly with the para legal volunteers of CoNE in the attempt to provide justice to the marginalised communities.
Earlier while giving the keynote address, CoNE President RK Nalinikanta informed that the Legal Aid Clinic, CoNE which was the very first Legal Aid Clinic (LAC) for the marginalized communities in India, was formally opened on June 3, 2013 by Justice N Kotiswar Singh, Judge, High Court of Manipur and former MASLSA Member Secretary A Guneshwar Sharma at the office premises of CoNE located at Palace Compound, Imphal East.
He also appealed to all concerned to visit the newly revived LAC office for any case of rights violation of the marginalized communities in relation to access to services related to HIV, HCV, property and other health related issues.
Deputy Member Secretary who was also present during the function informed that free legal services under the Legal Services Authorities Act are entitled to 80% of the total population of India.
Free legal advice and aid is given to people of all categories whose annual income is below INR 25,000 and to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Women, Children, people of weaker Sections, people with unsound mind, victims of communal violence, religious atrocities, floods, famine, senior citizens, transgender, people affected and infected by HIV, victims of substance and drug abuse, it added.
He further informed that according to official reports there are around 34000 drug users in the State.
To provide drug rehabilitation facilities to the drug users, there are altogether 70 drug treatment centres.
So for every 500 drug users there is one (1) drug treatment centre to provide rehabilitation services which is very less.
To address this issue the Social Welfare Department has been urged to take up immediate action by formulating a State specific guideline for private rehabilitation centres.
The drug users are also entitled to every Constitutional right as any other human being and their rights cannot be denied under any circumstances.
In this regard, the LAC at CoNE office has been primarily established exclusively for marginalised communities to provide legal aid to them, he added.
Since the LAC at CoNE is the only one exclusively for the marginalised communities, he appealed to the media persons present to highlight the existence of this clinic so as to ensure free legal aid facilities to the needy people.
Comment
