Patna, September 23: Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant will inaugurate the first Victim Rights Centre at the Bihar State Legal Services Authority (BLSA) in Patna on Saturday.
The event will also see the launch of a Transgender Helpline, the flagging off of a fleet of Multi Utility Vehicles and the release of a BLSA publication on the new centre.
The Victim Rights Centre is a pilot project of the Bihar State Legal Services Authority and has been described by the Authority as the first centre of its kind in the country.
How The Victim Rights Centre Will Work
The centre has been designed to address gaps in coordination between agencies dealing with victims of crime and other vulnerable persons.
Under the proposed system, a victim will have a single point of entry where their case can be received and the entitlements available to them identified.
A single record will be maintained for each case, reducing the need for victims to repeatedly provide the same information to different agencies.
The centre will also follow internal timelines for different stages of a case and remain accountable to the Authority. A case will be closed only after the relief has been obtained and the outcome verified, or if the victim formally requests closure.
No New Statutory Body
The centre does not require a new statutory body or legislation. It will operate from the Authority’s existing premises using its existing personnel and resources.
It will coordinate with agencies and institutions already involved in victim support, including the police, hospitals, Child Welfare Committees, One Stop Centres, government departments and other organisations.
Its role will primarily involve facilitating services, coordinating between agencies and following up on cases until the required relief or service has been secured.
Project Leadership
The project has been conceived and taken forward under the guidance of Justice V. Kameswar Rao, Chief Justice of the Patna High Court and Patron-in-Chief of BLSA, and Justice Sudhir Singh, Judge of the Patna High Court and Executive Chairman of the Authority.
Policy direction for the centre will rest with a Steering Committee chaired by a Patna High Court judge. Justice Ajeet Kumar will serve as its first chairman.
Transgender Helpline To Be Launched
The Transgender Helpline will be launched alongside the Victim Rights Centre.
It will operate under BLSA’s 2023 scheme for the consolidation, rehabilitation and access to justice of transgender persons, which seeks to implement provisions of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
The Victim Rights Centre will serve as the delivery point for the scheme and assist transgender persons with identity certificates and access to housing, employment, healthcare and welfare benefits.
BLSA Publication On Centre To Be Released
The Chief Justice of India will also release BLSA’s publication on the Victim Rights Centre.
The launch edition contains the centre’s scheme, standard operating procedure and prescribed forms for recording different stages of a case.
The publication has been written by Shama Sinha, Advocate, who proposed the project and is serving as its Project Coordinator.
12-Month Pilot In Patna
The Victim Rights Centre will initially operate as a 12-month pilot project in Patna district.
Following an evaluation of the pilot, the Authority plans to extend the model to other districts through the respective District Legal Services Authorities.
