Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, June 5: Jammu & Kashmir State Judicial Academy in its endeavor to further strengthen judicial skills regarding just sentencing policy and procedure, victim compensation under CrPC, Victim Compensation Scheme today organised one day special training programme for all Judicial Officers of Kashmir province at the State Judicial Academy here.
The programme was organised 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 Governing Body of the State Judicial Academy Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, Chairman and Justice Janak Raj Kotwal, Member, SJA.
Proceedings were conducted by Abdul Rashid Malik, Director, State Judicial Academy. In his introductory remarks, he extended warm welcome to Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar (Chairman, J&K State Judicial Academy), Justice Hasnain Masoodi, Former Judge High Court of J&K and Prof Dr Mehraj Udin Mir, Vice Chancellor Central University Kashmir for gracing the occasion.
He highlighted the long line of judicial pronouncements of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court which recognise in no uncertain terms a paradigm shift in the approach towards the victims of crime who were held entitled to reparation, restitution, compensation for lost and injury suffered by them.
While presiding over the first session, Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar focused upon judicial conduct and ethical values and emphasised upon the Judicial Officers to always keep in mind the question of compensation in every criminal case, with due regard to the mitigating and aggravating circumstances.
He highlighted that corruption is the biggest threat to the society as the evil of corruption and lust for money affects the lives of innocent people and people lose the faith in the system when the corrupt goes unpunished.
He also elaborated the concept of rarest of rare cases which is nowhere defined in the statute. He also referred to the cases which at times not only shocks the judicial conscience but even the conscience of the society. He cautioned that exaggerated devotion to rule of benefit of doubt destroys the social defence as any empathy or sympathy shall not creep in the judgment and the Judicial Officers shall apply mind to the plight of the victim, and the sentence has to be fair not only to the accused but also the victim and society.
Prof Mehraj Udin Mir, Vice Chancellor Central University Kashmir, gave an overview of the criminal justice system in light of the leading Supreme Court judgments and projected the perception of the common people about the system.
Justice Hasnain Masoodi thread bare discussed provisions of CrPC relating to vicitims compensation with special reference to Sections 545 and 545-A in light of Supreme Court judgement in Manohar Singh’s case. He also interacted with Judicial Officers and responded to all the queries raised by the participant judges regarding grant of compensation to the victims of crime.
The training program was concluded with the vote of thanks by the Director State Judicial Academy.
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