Secretary, Law & Justice Nihoto Chishi speaks at the legal awareness seminar organized jointly by CLCSU and LACC in Dimapur on Tuesday, September 20. (Morung Photo)
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 20 (MExN): City Law College Students’ Union (CLCSU) conducted a legal awareness seminar for students on Tuesday, September 20 at Ana-Ki conference hall, Dimapur. It was organized in collaboration with Legal Aid & Counselling Centre (LACC), Dimapur and sponsored by National Rural Health Mission, department of Health & family welfare.
Themed: ‘Know rights to be better informed citizens’, the interactive programme today was aimed to generate awareness on legal rights while empowering the students as well as the citizens with the knowledge of their legal rights and duties as enshrined in the constitution. Secretary, Law & Justice Nihoto Chishi was the chief guest at the programme.
Dwelling on the importance of the knowledge of law, Chishi reminded: “Ignorance of law is no excuse.” Quoting a universally accepted legal principle ‘Ignorantia juris non excusat’ (Latin for ‘ignorance of the law does not excuse), he said that knowledge of law will not only make the citizens aware of their rights, on the other hand it will also act as a deterrent for breaking the law. According to this principle, a person flouting a law merely out of ignorance does not imply that the person is not liable to be charged or prosecuted. The Government of India enacted the Legal Service Authorities Act with the intention of educating the general public on the various laws and Acts at the same time providing legal assistance and aid to the poor and the illiterate.
However, except a few, the majority of the populace is also not aware of this legal instrument. Hence, he urged the LACC as well as law students to make it a point to accommodate and find way and means to disseminate information and create awareness. He took the instance of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act which in general was enacted to keep at bay the harmful effects arising from tobacco consumption at the same time discourage the practice of smoking in public (or public places). The ignorance of the existence of this law among the people in general, is evident in the form of people lighting up, even in government establishments. It (law) is in place but till now there is no record of any prosecution of people flouting this rule, he said.
The state government, he said is planning to take up an initiative to encourage the state’s law colleges to carry out mass legal awareness programmes.
Resource persons also introduced the gathering on the nuances of certain statutes of the country, their application in normal jurisprudence and in the process simplifying its understanding for even lay people. The subjects covered today included Maternity Benefit Act, Legal Age Marriage, Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act, and Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, COTP Act. The resource persons were Leonard Aier; principal of City Law College, Moarenla and Keninguno, both lecturers of City Law College. Dr. Achila, Medical Officer, Youth Friendly Clinic, district hospital, Dimapur spoke on ‘Adolescence Reproductive Sexual Health’. Other participants included, District & Session Judge, Dimapur S. Hukato Swu, Chief Judicial Magistrate-I N Suyie, Public Prosecutor Akum Jamir.
Themed: ‘Know rights to be better informed citizens’, the interactive programme today was aimed to generate awareness on legal rights while empowering the students as well as the citizens with the knowledge of their legal rights and duties as enshrined in the constitution. Secretary, Law & Justice Nihoto Chishi was the chief guest at the programme.
Dwelling on the importance of the knowledge of law, Chishi reminded: “Ignorance of law is no excuse.” Quoting a universally accepted legal principle ‘Ignorantia juris non excusat’ (Latin for ‘ignorance of the law does not excuse), he said that knowledge of law will not only make the citizens aware of their rights, on the other hand it will also act as a deterrent for breaking the law. According to this principle, a person flouting a law merely out of ignorance does not imply that the person is not liable to be charged or prosecuted. The Government of India enacted the Legal Service Authorities Act with the intention of educating the general public on the various laws and Acts at the same time providing legal assistance and aid to the poor and the illiterate.
However, except a few, the majority of the populace is also not aware of this legal instrument. Hence, he urged the LACC as well as law students to make it a point to accommodate and find way and means to disseminate information and create awareness. He took the instance of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act which in general was enacted to keep at bay the harmful effects arising from tobacco consumption at the same time discourage the practice of smoking in public (or public places). The ignorance of the existence of this law among the people in general, is evident in the form of people lighting up, even in government establishments. It (law) is in place but till now there is no record of any prosecution of people flouting this rule, he said.
The state government, he said is planning to take up an initiative to encourage the state’s law colleges to carry out mass legal awareness programmes.
Resource persons also introduced the gathering on the nuances of certain statutes of the country, their application in normal jurisprudence and in the process simplifying its understanding for even lay people. The subjects covered today included Maternity Benefit Act, Legal Age Marriage, Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act, and Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, COTP Act. The resource persons were Leonard Aier; principal of City Law College, Moarenla and Keninguno, both lecturers of City Law College. Dr. Achila, Medical Officer, Youth Friendly Clinic, district hospital, Dimapur spoke on ‘Adolescence Reproductive Sexual Health’. Other participants included, District & Session Judge, Dimapur S. Hukato Swu, Chief Judicial Magistrate-I N Suyie, Public Prosecutor Akum Jamir.
