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Supreme Court Judge, Justice S.B. Sinha said that there is a need to provide compulsory practical training in dealing with violation of Human Rights. He stressed on the need for including the study of human rights as a part of syllabus right from the school education.
"The administrators, bureaucrats and political bodies must be sensitized with human rights," he said. He also said that increase in GNP and per capita income cannot be called development, unless the people are given a right to make choices and manage their life.
Justice Sinha was speaking as the Chief Guest at the convocation of the Second Post Graduate Diploma Course in Human Rights, being conducted by Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK). This is a ten-months full time course, which looks at human rights from a global perspective and has participants from SAARC countries.
According to him, women, children, refugees and disabled persons were some of the social groups who have been most vulnerable. "Women have a unique position in society and the constitution of India prohibits discrimination on ground of sex," he said. In this regard Justice Sinha emphasized on the importance of the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments, which sought to bring women to the forefront of governance through reservation of seats in Panchayats and Municipalities.
Calling upon the diploma holders not to get pessimist because of the forceful opposite reaction, Justice Sinha urged them to do everything for the propagation and spread of human rights. "Your further duties are to see not only that people are protected from violation of human rights but also to see that those who violate human rights of others with impunity are brought back to the book and adequately punished or be made to compensate their victim,"
Justice K.D. Sahi, Chairman of State Consumer Redressal Forum of Uttaranchal while delivering a vote of thanks, said that the diploma holders had a heavy burden on their shoulders to work selflessly towards protection of human rights.
Justice Sahi said that State Human Rights Commissions have been formed in other states but the same has not been formulated in Uttaranchal. He appealed to all present on this occasion to put pressure on the Uttaranchal government for setting up a State Human Rights Commission.
The Chairperson of RLEK, Avdhash Kaushal in his welcome address said that the institute was inculcating and spreading human rights culture with a special reference to South Asian Countries. He said that, "the South Asian nature of the course would go a long way towards restoring the fast eroding sprit of cooperation in the SAARC countries."
Later Justice Sinha awarded the diplomas to the participants and trophies to some of the outstanding participants. Syeda Prodhan, participant from Bangladesh bagged the Best All Round Female Participant award while Tushitha from Sri Lanka got the Best All Round Male Participant award.
On behalf of the state government, Manorma Sharma Dobriyal, Mayor of Dehradun presented a souvenir to the Supreme Court Judge. Mr. Surendra Agarwal, Member State Consumer Forum and Mr. B.C. Kandpal, District Judge were among the others present on this occasion.