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Two Day Legal Training on the importance of documentation and legal intervention in cases of caste and gender-based violence

Date: 15/03/2024 – 16/03/2024

Part Three conducted a training session over two days in Patna, to generate awareness on the importance of documentation, letter writing and basic criminal procedure, as well as usage of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 given the prevalence of caste atrocities and other identity based violence in Bihar. The training saw attendance from 20-25 participants from across 7 districts (Patna, Vaishali, Buxar, Gaya, Nalanda, Rohtas, West Champaran) and 12 organisations. These participants comprised youth volunteers, activists, members of community based organisations working in Bihar on issues of domestic violence, livelihoods, reach of government entitlements, etc. 

The training saw the participants showing the issues faced in their respective communities through a play, followed by a discussion on the stages of a criminal case from the date of filing of the FIR till the date of the judgement from the sessions court. The discussion then moved on to the legal history of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and the offences covered under the law, the procedure for obtaining compensation and rights of victims and witnesses under the same.

The training also saw attendance from lawyers with experience of litigating PoA cases. As such the session was in a question and answer format where participants could address their queries about the law directly to practitioners and stakeholders within the system. The practising advocates shared important advice on how complaints under the PoA must be drafted to ensure a conviction/ to attract provisions of the PoA in the FIR. 

The next day focussed on understanding the role of different stakeholders in the system. Every participant was allotted a role within the criminal justice system, the administration and the village panchayat, for instance, SHO, sarpanch, DM, etc. The moderator played the role of the victim, and the participants were asked to enact their roles while the victim navigated the system, as a way to provoke thoughts on the participant’s understanding of what falls within the authority of their allotted stakeholder. 

In order to discuss the importance of documentation, the training also saw a screening of the film Well Done Abba and the value of documentation as well as the usage of the Right to Information Act, 2005 in the movie. Part III team also showed how the participants could easily file an RTI Application on the online portal of the Bihar Government. This was followed by a discussion of applications drafted by the participants themselves.

Prashant Kumar

Prashant works as an Associate (Litigation) at Bihar office of PART -III, where he conducts litigation before the district courts and the High Court at Patna. Previously, he was an Assistant Legal Aid Defence Counsel at Bilaspur District Court in Chhattisgarh where he served as a public defender, extending legal aid to prisoners while in prison, as well as before the court at all stages of criminal trial. Prior to his work in Bilaspur, he worked at Human Rights Law Network, Delhi, where he was representing survivors of various human rights violations, before multiple fora in Delhi, and was also involved in conducting legal awareness camps and fact findings. He specialises in disability & mental health law.

Prashant holds a degree in Computer Science & Engineering from Uttar Pradesh Technical University. He is also a Social Work graduate from Delhi School of Social Work and holds a law degree from Law Center II, University of Delhi. Prashant strongly believes in grassroot activism and litigation to bring social change. He speaks English, Hindi, Magahi and Bhojpuri.

Pratima Kumari

Pratima Kumari is Bihar State Co-Ordinator for PART-III, where she provides para-legal assistance to survivors of identity-based violence. She also designs and conducts workshops with community members, youth and important stakeholders on rights of survivors under the criminal justice system. She has been a social activist and advocate vocalising against child marriage and gender-based violence at the grassroot level for the past 16 years. She is the founder of Gaurav Gramin Mahila Vikas Manch (special cell for women and girls based out of Darbhanga, and established through like-minded groups at TISS Mumbai). She has worked as a co-ordinator at Yuva Shakti Samastipur, an organisation which builds awareness of constitutional values among youth. 

She is a Member of Internal Complaints Committee in Patna District constituted under the POSH Act, 2013, a member of the Patna District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee constituted under the SC & ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 and a member of the Patna District Level Vigilance Committee constituted under The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013.

She holds an LLB Degree from Lalit Narayan Mithila University and is currently pursuing M.A in Sociology from Nalanda Open University. She speaks Maithili, Magahi, Bhojpuri, Hindi, and understands English.

Hamza Tariq

Hamza’s work at Part-three as Associate (Litigation and Research) spans issues of jal, jangal, zameen and identity based violence with special focus  on displacement, dispossession, rights of forest dwellers and caste-based violence.  He has previously practiced law for 2 years in different judicial forums in Delhi and  worked as a Young Professionals Program for Legal Empowerment (YYPLE) fellow for Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Ahmedabad. 

He graduated from National Law School of India University, Bengaluru in 2020. Hamza speaks Hindi and English. 

Joicy Milun Zou

Joicy works as an Associate (Litigation and Research), where she provides research and litigation support on Gender based violence cases in Delhi. As a lawyer Joicy has worked in the realm of human rights for two years’ at Human Rights Law Network (HRLN). Her work is largely associated with instances of gender-based violence and infringement of rights of persons with disabilities. She also has teaching experience of over 5 years as a primary school teacher.

Joicy holds a Masters Degree in English Literature and is a Law graduate from Campus Law Center (Delhi University).  Joicy speaks Zou (her mother tongue), Meitei, Hindi and English, she also understands Mizo and 9 other dialects of Manipur.

Vanshika Mohta

Vanshika works as an Associate (Litigation and Research), where she works with survivors of identity based violence, specifically caste atrocities, including engaging with lawyers and advising on litigation in Bihar. She also works as a researcher on issues plaguing systems designed to address identity-based violence. She has previously worked at NITI Aayog as a Young Professional and at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.

Vanshika holds a B.A. LL.B. (Hons) from National Law University, Jodhpur.  Vanshika speaks English, Hindi and Tamil.

Sanjana Srikumar

Sanjana works as the Lead (Litigation and Research), where she engages with legal processes to uphold fundamental rights. Sanjana has over six years of experience as a litigator and researcher. During this time, she has remained particularly interested in community-led strategic litigation to advance civil liberties and socio-economic rights. Sanjana has also been involved in landmark constitutional challenges, under the mentorship of Sanjay Parikh, Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court. She has also been affiliated with leading human rights organisations in India and abroad, such as Internet Freedom Foundation, Media Defence, Access Now and Columbia Global Freedom of Expression. 

Sanjana holds a B.A. LL.B. (Hons) from the National Law University, Jodhpur in India and an LL.M. from Columbia University, where she was a scholar at the Center for Public Research & Leadership. Sanjana speaks English, Hindi and Tamil.

Vipul Kumar

Vipul is the Founder and the Program Director at Part III.  A passionate researcher and human rights professional, Vipul has worked for over 9  years on the intersections of law, justice and criminalisation of the oppressed communities. Working with national and local networks, Vipul has engaged extensively with community based leaders to create tools of documentation apart from popularising human rights discourse among community based organisations. 

Vipul holds a MA Social Work degree with specialisation in Criminology and Justice from Tata institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Vipul speaks Hindi and English. 

Mangla Verma

Mangla is the Founder and Executive Director at Part III. She specialises in strategic litigation and advocacy. For more than 10 years Mangla has worked within the criminal justice system advocating and litigating contemporary human rights issues. During this journey she worked closely and collaboratively with leading experts in criminal law, constitutional law and human rights including Ms. Indira Jaising, Mr. Prashant Bhushan, Mr. Harsh Mander, Mr. Colin Gonsalves and Ms. Vrinda Grover. Apart from litigation Mangla strongly advocates that thorough ground research and documentation are important components to engage in constructive dialogue and strengthen the cause for justice. 

Mangla graduated in Law in 2011 and holds a B.A.LL.B. (Hons) from Symbiosis Law School, Pune. Mangla speaks Hindi, English and understands Marathi.