Hon’ble Mr. Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Judge, Supreme Court of India  and Executive Chairman, National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) today launched  a nationwide campaign to expedite the identification and review of prisoners who are  eligible to be considered for release.

The campaign will be undertaken from 18th  September to 20th November, 2023 across all the districts of India. 

The campaign will accelerate the existing functioning of the Under Trial Review  Committees (UTRCs), which are district level bodies headed by the respective District  & Sessions Judges with the District Magistrates, Superintendents of Police,  Secretaries, District Legal Services Authorities and Officers-in-Charge of Prisons as its members. 

Constituted in furtherance of the directions of the Supreme Court of India in the case  of In Re-Inhuman Conditions in 1382 Prisons in 2015, the UTRCs have in the last five  years, recommended the release of over two lakh prisoners which has resulted in the  release of 91,703 prisoners across India.

NALSA’s campaign ‘Release_UTRC@75’ undertaken in July and August of 2022 had  led to 47,618 recommendations for release, out of which 37,220 prisoners were  released. 

The launch event of the campaign, held virtually, was attended by the Executive  Chairpersons and Member Secretaries and other functionaries of all State Legal  Services Authorities, Executive Chairpersons and Secretaries of the DLSAs, members  of the UTRCs. Justice Kaul emphasized that “the issues of undertrial prisoners  languishing in prisons despite being eligible to be reviewed for release, have continued  to come up before the Supreme Court as well as the High Courts.” 

He further reminded everyone that “Our responsibility as judges is to ensure that the  law is followed in letter and spirit, and that it does not discriminate between anyone  on the basis of the quality of legal representation they can afford among other man made qualifiers”. 

In his address, Justice Kaul explained the intrinsic linkages between a robust legal  aid system, access to justice and the attainment of the Sustainable Development  Goals, an aspect that has been a focus of the G20 Summit 2023 and is one of the  resolutions of the G20 New Delhi Leader’s Declaration. 

Ms. Santosh Snehi Mann, Member Secretary, National Legal Services Authority, who  convened the launch event, in her address stressed the UTRCs mandate to prevent imprisonment solely due to poverty or inadequate legal representation. She reiterated  the principle that‘Bail is the rule & jail is the exception.’ 

This nationwide campaign represents a significant step towards ensuring the fair  and efficient administration of justice, emphasizing the principle that justice should  be accessible to all, regardless of their circumstance.

 

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