Based on the directions of National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), the JHALSA has decided to put up boards and hoarding in Hindi and English on the rights of arrested persons and Know Your Rights at police stations. Jhalsa Executive Chairman Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh has issued an order in this connection.
The idea behind putting up boards and hoardings is to ensure that such boards/posters are the first step in the direction to ensure that no accused remains unrepresented during any stage of the criminal investigation and the trial, so that every opportunity is afforded to a person to defend himself.
JHALSA has prepared such boards and sent them to all district legal services authority to put up at police stations. The boards will also have the phone number of secretaries of district legal services authority along with email id. Such boards and hoardings will also be put up in the front offices of Legal Services Authorities, Legal Aid Clinics, Railway Stations and Civil Court campuses to make people aware about their rights.
Persons detained or called for interrogation can also take legal aid from a panel of lawyers of JHALSA. The JHALSA lawyers’ job will be to ensure that the person detained or called for interrogation his or her human rights is not violated. Some of the rights of arrested persons include the right to have a lawyer, right to have an arrest memo, right to be informed of the grounds of arrest and of right to bail. Also, the Constitution guarantees the arrested person has the right of information to any friend/relative or any other person nominated by arrested persons about the arrest and the place of detention. The right to medical examination by a medical officer, right against self incrimination and the right to be produced before a competent magistrate within 24 hours are some of the rights of arrested persons.