Bombay High Court Questions Lack of Sensitization Programs for Human Rights Court Judges
In a recent inquiry, the Bombay High Court raised concerns over the absence of sensitization programs for judges designated to hear cases involving violations of human rights. The Division Bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Arif Doctor, directed the High Court administration to provide information regarding any existing programs. Advocate Rahul Nerlekar, representing the administration, highlighted that certain judges of sessions courts had been designated for such cases since the early 2000s. However, the Bench observed that the limited number of cases filed before these designated judges may be attributed to a lack of clarity regarding what qualifies as a "human rights" case. It suggested the need for guidelines on the types of cases falling under this category. The Court further instructed the petitioner to explore if any statutory provisions mandated the issuance of such guidelines. Advocate Asim Sarode, the petitioner-in-person, argued that the low case count might be due to a lack of public awareness about the existence of these specialized courts. The Bench requested Sarode to present details of at least one such case and scheduled the next hearing for July 27.
TAGS: Bombay High Court sensitization programs human rights court judges violations Division Bench Acting Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar Justice Arif Doctor designated judges sessions courts low number of cases understanding guidelines statutory mandate petitioner Advocate Asim Sarode public awareness specialized courts next hearing
