The Odisha Civil liberty Forum (OClF) conducted ‘legal Aid Clinics’ in the jails at Sambalpur, Jharsuguda, Baleswar, Baripada, Kendrapada, Kamakshyanagar, Choudwar and Kujang on Saturday.
Supreme Court advocate Merusagar Samanatray, who is the chief of OClF, is spearheading the movement to provide legal support to the needy. Senior Supreme Court and Odisha High Court lawyers attended the legal aid clinics along with lawyers of local courts and law students and local volunteers. The focus of the programme was on extending legal assistance to Under Trial Prisoners (UTPs) and convicts. Special efforts were made for female inmates and persons above 70 years of age.
This was part of the OClF activities in all the jails of Odisha. ADG, Prisons Pradeep Kapur has asked the jail authorities to extend cooperation to the OClF for conducting various welfare activities in the prisons. The initiative also intends to gather information about UTPs and convicts for rendering them some extra legal assistance. last year, the OClF organised a State-level seminar here to create awareness among people on law. Registered since 1998-99, the OClF has operations in almost all parts of the State.
Starting form Bandalo village in Badachana block of Jajpur district in 1998, the OClF hosted former Attorney General Soli J Sorabjee, Supreme Court Judge AK Patnaik, Chief Justices of Odisha High Court, MPs, social activists and many other resource persons. The operation of OClF also includes creating awareness about forest rights among tribals and safeguards against handcuffing.
It has distributed and got boards fixed in almost all police stations containing the DK Basu guidelines relating to specified requirements in case of arrest and detention. It has supplied from its own resources Criminal Manuals to police stations to extend the benefits of amendments and changes to the police as well as to the accused. The OClF also organises awareness campaigns to educate people about writing an FIR. It extends “postal helpdesk” for jail inmates.