GOVERNOR’S SECRETARIAT
ARUNACHAL PRADESH
ITANAGAR

No. IPR (PR)-03/2008                                            Dated Naharlagun the 19th April, 2010

PRESS RELEASE –432

Governor calls  for specialized judicial training;
Singh for efforts to promote people’s access to formal justice System

 Itanagar, April 17: Arunachal Pradesh Governor, Gen JJ Singh called for conducting studies and reaching a conclusion on how the traditional justice systems practiced in many tribal societies of the North-East can be gradually integrated with the formal civil and criminal justice systems. He also stressed on specialized judicial training for officers of Arunachal Pradesh where the judiciary has not yet been completely separated from the Executive. The Governor was speaking in the initiation ceremony and inauguration of the conference on access to Justice and Socio-Economic Developmental Programmes for North-Eastern States, which was inaugurated by President of India Smti Pratibha Devisingh Patil at Guwahati on April17, reports PRO to Governor.

Gen Singh pointed, many of the societies here have their own customary laws and traditional dispute redressal systems. Although the area is under a common High Court, the variations in the actual access to justice from one place to another are striking. Judicial consciousness has slowly started making its in-roads in this part and people have now started approaching the formal judicial mechanisms for civil or criminal redressal. However, the access of the common people of this area to this formal system is still very limited due to geographical, social and financial constraints, he added.

Impressed by with the multi-pronged approach suggested by the  Chief Justice of India for ensuring access to justice to the residents of this beautiful yet remote part of the country, -which includes, encouraging Awareness programs that generate academic debate and intellectual deliberation on the most critical issues and result in the creation of constructive and practical ideas that can be implemented for the benefit of the North-East, sensitization of Judicial officers regarding the particular challenges faced by the people from the North East, since it would help in ensuring speedy and efficacious justice, confluence of Citizen’s forums to promote access to justice which would go a long way in promoting public private partnership and generate societal involvement towards ameliorating their condition and need for an inclusive society to stimulate developmental work through legal empowerment of communities,- Gen Singh said,  many areas of the North East are governed by the 6th schedule of the Constitution and the separation of Judiciary from the executive is still under process, which is particularly true of Arunachal Pradesh.

Stating that the presence of the President of India conference is a testimony of the high importance that she attaches to ensuring justice and socio-economic equality for all, Governor hoped that at the end of the two day conference, it will be able to come up with a road-map on how to promote and improve access to justice and socio-economic programmes to the people of this North Eastern Region.

He suggested that the proceedings of the conference be documented and be shared with the widest possible audience of opinion makers and intellectuals so that the ultimate output draws on the experience of all who can contribute towards this noble venture.

            Governor and Chief Minister of Assam, Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court along with senior justices of Supreme Court and Gauhati High Court, Ministers, Jurists, Administrators, Officers, Educationists, Senior Editors of Publications of eminence and Members of the Bar attended the inaugural function.

The two-day conference, which is being held at Pragjyoti ITA Complex, Machkhowa, Guwahati is conducted by the North Eastern Regional Committee for access to Justice and Socio-Economic Developmental Programmes for North-Eastern States constituted by Chief Justice of India. The inaugural session was followed by technical sessions.

The first day had six technical sessions for right to education-A north eastern perspective, North East and Media, Environment and sustainable development, Drug Trafficking and AIDS, Rights and maintenance of senior citizens and Terrorism and Human Rights in North East.

The second will have technical session for Human Trafficking for Child Labour and Prostitution, Domestic Violence and Gender Equality: North East scenario, followed by combine open forum interactive session and valedictory function, adds the Rajbhawan report.


Sd/ D.Dodum,PRO