India / Threat to human rights highest in police stations: CJI NV Ramana

New Delhi: Expressing concern over increasing cases of custodial torture and police atrocities in the country, Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana on Sunday said the threat to human rights and bodily integrity is the highest at the police stations despite constitutional declarations and guarantees.

“The threat to human rights and bodily integrity are the highest in the police station. Custodial torture and other police atrocities are problems that still prevail in our society,” ANI quoted the Chief Justice of India as saying.

“In spite of constitutional declarations and guarantees, lack of effective legal representation at the police stations is a huge detriment to arrested or detained person,” he added.

The Chief Justice of India, who was addressing an event organised by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), said dissemination of information about the constitutional right to legal aid and availability of free legal aid services is necessary to keep police excesses in check.

“The installation of display boards and outdoor hoardings in every police station or prison is a step in this direction,” he added.

For a society to remain governed by the rule of law, the Chief Justice emphasised that it is imperative to bridge the gap of accessibility to justice between the highly privileged and the most vulnerable.

"The realities of socio-economic diversity which prevail in our nation, cannot ever be a reason for denial of rights. If, as an institution, the judiciary wants to garner the faith of the citizens, we have to make everyone feel assured that we exist for them. For the longest time, the vulnerable population has lived outside the system of justice," he added as quoted by IANS.

He added that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, we have successfully been able to continue our legal aid services.

"Majority of those who do not have access to justice are from rural and remote areas which suffer from lack of connectivity. I have already written to the government emphasizing the need to bridge the digital divide on a priority basis", he added.

The NALSA has been constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987, to provide free Legal Services to the weaker sections of the society and to organize Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes.