GUWAHATI, Feb 29 - A two-day in-service training and sensitisation for judicial officers conducted by Shishu Sarothi, a city-based NGO working in the disability sector at the Conference Hall of the Judicial Academy, Gauhati High Court, concluded yesterday.
Around 39 judicial officers of various grades, including District and Sessions Judge, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Chief Judicial Magistrates, Special Judge, CBI, Special Railway Magistrate, Member of Motor Accidents Claims Tribunal, Civil Judge and Assistant Sessions Judge, Munsiff, Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Special Judicial Magistrates, Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrates from six districts of Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup (Rural), Nalbari, Darrang, Udalguri and Morigaon participated in the training.
It needs to be mentioned that the programme was held under the Central Sector Scheme Plan, i.e., �In-Service Training and Sensitisation of Key Functionaries of Central and State Governments, Local Bodies and Other Service Providers�, which came into effect from December 29, 2014 and is being implemented for the remaining part of the XII Five Year Plan for the financial year 2015-16 and 2016-17 by the Rehabilitation Council of India, Nodal Agency for this scheme.
The programme, supported by the Judicial Academy, Assam, was attended by Justice Hrishikesh Roy, Judge In-charge, Training, Gauhati High Court and Justice (Retd) AC Upadhyay, Director, Judicial Academy, Assam and NEJOTI.
Justice Upadhyay, in his welcome address, observed that ensuring access to all human rights and fundamental freedom for all persons with disabilities, without discrimination, is the need of the hour. Emphasising that no country can claim to be civilised and developed unless persons with disabilities can enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedom on an equal basis with other citizens, he said that the in-service training would help create awareness about disability rights and entitlements and various schemes and government programmes for inclusion of disabled people. He expressed his confidence that the training would also motivate judicial officers to work towards creating an inclusive environment at workplace.
Justice Hrishikesh Roy echoed similar sentiments in his address, when he said that through in-service training programmes like this, some relevant information would be disseminated among the members of the judicial fraternity, so that whenever an occasion arises for rendering justice and balancing the interest and taking a proactive role in reaching justice for the disabled people, the judiciary would stand up to it.
He also saluted the selfless and committed efforts of people working in the disability sector, but for whose efforts the privileges and benefits under the Constitution and other laws of the land would not reach the disabled people.
Arman Ali, executive director, Shishu Sarothi, presided over an interactive session on the second day of the training. Other resource persons for the various sessions on the two days of the training included Dr Mythili Hazarika, Clinical Psychologist, GMCH, Siddharth Shankar Dey, senior advocate, Rakhee Sirauthia Chowdhury, advocate, Pranab Kalpa Hazarika, neuro-developmental therapist, Ellora Khanikar Saikia, physiotherapist and early interventionist, Saswati Barman, coordinator, Disability Employment Initiative and Amvalika Senapati, coordinator, Disability Law Unit � North East (DLU), Shishu Sarothi.
