Supreme Court's Judgment on Sexual Harassment at Workplace

After years of struggle , The Supreme Court of India has passed a judgmnent in the Medha Kotwal Lele case of sexual harrasment at workplace.

The Court in the order says " Lip service, hollow statements and  inert
and inadequate laws with sloppy enforcement are  not  enough  for  true  and
genuine upliftment of our half most precious population – the women." also directing the Bar Council of India , Medical Council of  India,   Council  of
Architecture, Institute  of  Chartered  Accountants,  Institute  of  Company
Secretaries  and  other  statutory  Institutes   shall   ensure   that   the
organisations,    bodies,    associations,    institutions    and    persons
registered/affiliated to follow the guidelines laid down by  Vishaka.

Read the full order here

Juveniles being forced into crime

The Delhi high court on Wednesday issued notice to the city police and the department of women and child development on a PIL alleging that a large number of underpriviledged juveniles were being forced to take up crime by organised gangs.
Seeking a direction to the authorities to protect children from being pushed into the world of crime, the PIL said the earlier order to the Delhi police to act against adult criminals, accused of pushing children into crime, has not been complied with.
Taking note of the petition filed by an NGO, a bench of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice R.S. Endlaw asked the Delhi police to file a status report indicating the steps taken by it to implement the order of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), which had on January 25 last year asked the police to probe and act against adult offenders for using children in offences like theft.
The Juvenile Justice Board, taking note of an organised gang called “Thak-Thak” (knock-knock) gang, had asked the Delhi police to take action against the adult criminals for using children.
Lawyer Anant Asthana, appearing for the NGO Society of Values and Ethics in Education, submitted in the court, “The state and its instrumentalities should come forward with full might and determination to protect children who are being trapped into this circle of crime by adults due to their vulnerability, helplessness and tender age. This situation has been prevailing in Delhi for quite a long time now while the respondent (Delhi police) have been dealing with this problem in a casual manner not realising the gravity involved and not realising the urgency with which duty holders need to respond to this challenge,” the PIL said.

Read the article 30th August Asian Age

Delhi High Court calls for report from Delhi Police on kidnapping and abduction of young boys and girls in past five years

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18.07.12/ New Delhi

Hearing a petition of a father claiming police inaction on kidnapping of his child, Delhi High Court has issued notice to Delhi Police and has called a detailed report on cases of kidnapping/ abduction of young boys and girls in that area in past five years detailing steps taken by Police and cases solved.

Arguing counsel Svetlana Sandra Correya from HRLN, who had filed the petition (Writ Petition Criminal 978 of 2012) informed the Court about growing number of kidnapping and abduction of young boys and girls in some areas of Delhi and urged for stringent measures to be adopted by the Police.

Delhi Police is expected to file its report within 10 days and matter will further be heard by Hon’ble Court on 08.08.2012.

HRLN had initiated this petition on being approached by a father whose young son had gone missing suddenly when he was playing out side his house and Police was not able to trace the child despite lapse of a considerable time. It was also brought to the notice of HRLN that there were numerous instances of children going missing being reported in that area.

Click here to read the order dated 18.07.2012.

For further details, please contact:

Advocate Svetlana Sandra Correya

Human Rights Law Network

Mob: 0 99 53 67 13 06

Email: litigation.delhi@hrln.org

Read Court Orders here 

Don't treat humans like guinea pigs, warns Supreme Court

Source: NDTV
New Delhi: The Supreme Court today expressed concern over alleged illegal clinical trial of drugs in the country, saying its "unfortunate" that humans were being treated as "guinea pigs".

A bench headed by Justice RM Lodha pulled up the Centre and the Madhya Pradesh government for not filing their response on PILs alleging large-scale illegal drug trials in the state and other parts of the country.

The bench said, "There has to be some sense of responsibility (on the part of the government). Human beings are being treated as guinea pigs. This is unfortunate." The bench granted the government and Medical Council of India eight weeks more time to file their replies.

The court was hearing two PILs filed by a group of doctors and an NGO alleging that illegal and unethical clinical trials were being done on poor persons including juveniles, tribals and dalits who were used as guinea pigs for testing of drugs and vaccines produced by multinational corporations.

The petitioners had also urged the court to order formation a Committee of Experts, consisting of members of civil society especially, the All India Drug Action Network, to examine the present legal provisions concerning clinical trials both in India and abroad and to make recommendations for framing guidelines on the issue.

Khalra Centre for Human Rights Defenders

Human Rights Law Network is proud to announce the website of Khalra Centre for Human Rights Defenders.

This website will give you latest updates on the human right defenders in India.

Kindly see the  website
and Facebook Page

HRLN team locked inside Asha Kiran while conducting inspection

NEW DELHI: A team of lawyers who were conducting an inspection at the Delhi government's overcrowded Asha Kiran Home at 7.30am on Saturday. Half way into the inspection approved by the Delhi high court, the staff on duty at the home for mentally challenged allegedly refused to let the lawyers out, insisting that they had orders that the team must wait for senior officials in charge of the home.

When the team was locked inside the home they called the police and an FIR was lodged.

For more information read: Times of India ,
                                              Indian Express

Contact: Advocate Anant Asthana and Advocate Pankaj Sinha : Litigation.delhi@hrln.org and Seema Baquer on dri.delhi@hrln.org

Delhi High Court Issues Historic Guidelines to eliminate incarceration of children in Jails

In response to a letter petition by HRLN Lawyer Anant Asthana alleging that juveniles are being shown as adults and are being incarcerated into Jails and subsequent discovery of hundreds of juveniles in Tihar Jail in the survey done by teams constituted by National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Delhi High Court has issued comprehensive directions to eliminate incarceration of children into jails.

Some of the salient features of these historic guidelines are detailed below:

Age Memo: On the line of “Arrest Memo” which was evolved on the direction of Supreme Court in order to curb illegal detention at police stations, Delhi High Court has directed Police to incorporate “Age Memo” in criminal investigations. Copies of such age memos have to be immediately supplied to accused, his/her family and officials of Legal Services Authority.

Inquiry and Action against Police in case of lapse: In each case of lapse, Deputy Commissioner of Police shall conduct inquiry and action shall also be taken against the erring police officials.

Mandatory Legal Aid: Court has also issued detailed guidelines to Juvenile Justice Boards to ensure that not a single child goes unrepresented by a legal aid lawyer and has set in details as to how effective and meaningful legal aid has to be provided to juveniles. Official of District Legal Services Authorities have been given responsibility to act as a check on police officials with a view to ensure that they don’t produce persons below the age of 18 years in adult criminal courts.

In pursuance of this Judgment, hundreds of persons incarcerated in Jails of Delhi are now being produced before Juvenile Justice Boards and Courts which are conducting age inquiries of such inmates. Among those who have been incarcerated in Jails is a person who has served 14 years in Jail already and another one is who was sentenced to death. Both of them have now been declared juveniles and have been set at liberty. These guidelines have been issued by Division Bench of Hon’ble Delhi High Court comprising of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahay Endlaw in Writ Petition (Civil) 8889 of 2011.

For background details, click here:

Read the Delhi High Court Judgment for further details of these historic guidelines on our website (www.hrln.org)

For further details, Contact:

Advocate Anant Kumar Asthana

Email: anant.asthana@hrln.org

Mobile: 92 12 11 71 05