One hundred and fifty paralegal volunteers will undergo training on various laws governing the protection and rights of the masses.
The District Legal Services Authority, which has selected the volunteers, will impart training to them shortly.
The services of 50 volunteers would be utilised for Tiruchi, and 25 volunteers in each of the four taluks of Musiri, Lalgudi, Thuraiyur, and Manapparai, said S. Velmurugan, Principal District and Session Judge.
Presiding over the day-long awareness programme on “International Human Rights Day” organised jointly by the District Legal Services Authority, Tiruchi, and the Mohamed Abdul Kader Educational and Development (MAKE) Trust, a service organisation here on Tuesday, Mr. Velmurugan said the volunteers would undergo training on the preliminary concept of various laws and acts, including Right to Information, Motor Vehicle Act, Mental Health Act, maintenance and welfare of parents and senior citizens, right to education, alternative dispute resolutions, Lok Adalat, including free legal adalat, and its benefits, rights of marginalised people such as transgender, and people with AIDS, HIV.
He said the ignorance of law could not be an excuse and every individual had a great responsibility in not only understanding the human rights but honouring the rights of others.
While every person was entitled for basic rights above caste, creed, or religion-based difference, it was mandatory for exercising fundamental duty.
“Honouring the rights of other persons forms part of fundamental duty.
“The problem of human rights violation starts where the fundamental duty of honouring other’s rights is ignored,” he said.
Explaining the provisions of various laws, he highlighted the special clauses in the Constitution, which guarded the human rights.
“Neither the Centre nor the State government can enact any law which will go against the human rights. Our Constitution has vested with the Supreme Court to declare such laws as null and void,” he said.
There had been a growing awareness among the administrators which had resulted in the implementation of various people-oriented schemes by the Union and State government.
For instance, laws governing free and compulsory education for children, the official re-defining of the term “disabled” as “differently-abled” were recent transformations which indicated a growing awareness about human violation, as any offending word or term would amount to violation of rights.
Resource persons from various institutions spoke on human rights.
K. Suba spoke on “women’s rights”, K. Suriyan on “child rights”, P. Ramajayam on “human rights and media”, K. Manoharan on “RTI 2005”, and P. John Britto on “Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Protection Act.”
K. Sekar, Principal of Chidambaram Pillai College for Women, said ancient Tamil poets toiled hard for conservation and promotion of human rights.
M. Sridhar, special judge, Special Court for Prevention of Corruption Act, and Antony Stephen, project consultant, MAKE Trust, spoke.
