Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 6: Under the guidance and patronage of Chief Patron of State Judicial Academy, Justice N. Paul Vasanthakumar, Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Committee of Judges, State Judicial Academy Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, Chairman, Justice Hasnain Massodi and Justice Janak Raj Kotwal Members, Jammu and Kashmir State Judicial Academy today conducted one day “Inter-segment Conference on Criminal Justice Delivery system” for all District and Sessions Judges, District Superintendents of Police, Public Prosecutors and Chief Prosecution Officers of Kashmir province.
Justice Hasnain Massodi was the Resource person in the pre-lunch session which was comprised of two sessions. Session-I was on the topic “Rights of the victim in Criminal cases” and Session-II was on “Rights of the Accused in Criminal Investigation and Trial”.
The proceedings were conducted by Pawan Dev Kotwal, Director, State Judicial Academy, who deliberated on the need for organizing of such conference for all the stakeholders of criminal justice delivery system.
In the 1st and 2nd Session, Justice Massodi addressed the participating officers in detail on the topics “Rights of the Victims in criminal cases” and “Rights of the Accused in Criminal Investigation and Trial”. He told the participants that the criminal justice system has been designed with the State at the center-stage and law and order is the prime duty of the State. He discussed each and every right of the victim of an offence in detail and gave many illustrations where the victims’ right are not taken care of and even violated.
“The rights of the victim are often forgotten giving weightage to the rights of accused only. The fair and expeditious trial is right of both victim and accused and as such, victim has to be participated actively”, he said.
The post lunch session was presided over by Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, Chairman Committee, State Judicial Academy and commenced with the presentations made by representatives of four groups of participating officers i.e. Judicial Officers, Police Officers and Chief Prosecuting Officers and Public Prosecutors as to the various “Causes for Delay of criminal investigation and Trial and Remedial measures required to be taken”.
Participating officers raised many issues which were responded to by the panelist comprising of Garib Dass, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Dilshad Shaheen, Special Secretary Home and Dilshad Ahmad, Special Secretary Law.
In final and concluding remarks, Justice Attar said that most of the causes given by the participating officers relate to the issues to be taken up and settled by the State, for e.g. separation of Investigating Wing of police from law and order enforcement agency and State must take call to comply with the directions of the Supreme Court in this regard.
He further stressed that despite many limitations and constraints, all the stakeholders shall put in their un-tired efforts for cutting delays and fair trial. He said that dispensation of justice is a divine function and Almighty has chosen all of us for the purpose, therefore, every wing of the system responsible for administration of justice shall take their responsibilities and individual efforts would not only yield positive results but also will satisfy the conscious of the officers.
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