NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court recently sought the National Legal Services Authority’s (NALSA) report in a plea seeking to implement NALSA’s Women’s Integrated Help System (NWIHS) that aims to provide hassle-free access to the criminal justice system to women and girls, who are victims of violence.
The system, NWIHS-181/15100, is a technology-integrated system of 181 women helpline, coupled with NALSA legal Aid helpline 15100, and all other government schemes.
A bench of Justices SK Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia, in their order, said, “Before we proceed further in the matter, we call for a report from the National Legal Services Authority of India (NALSA) qua the scheme which the petitioner(s) seeks implementation of. Let needful be done within three weeks.”
The court was considering a plea filed by the National Federation Of Societies For Fast Justice while arguing that the system had been implemented for the past three years on a pilot basis in Jammu and Kashmir and Chattisgarh had sought to extend the scheme across the country.
“NWIHS-181/15100 has a wide scope of work. It includes access to justice, access to welfare entitlements and access to all NALSA schemes for men, women, children and disadvantaged persons. It further covers legislations such as the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005; Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961; The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013; Indian Penal Code Act; The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013; Child Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act; Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006; Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012 and Juvenile Justice Care and Protection Act, 2015,” the plea stated.
Highlighting its contribution regarding the partnership with the operating system software, the plea said the system ensures legal, medical and other services to women. “Thus, with the help of this scheme, women are not required to go from pillar to post,” the plea also said.
