Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, January 17 2009:
LAWYERS' Collective Manipur today announced during an awareness campaign on the legal aspects of People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) at Thoubal Keithel Awang Leikai that no fee will be charged from the PLHA when they go to court to fight against discrimination against them by others.
The programme was organised by the MNP+ Thoubal district branch to spread awareness on how far laws could help the PLHA in association with Lawyers' Collective Manipur today.
People from different parts of the district took part in the programme.
The participants, mostly women who lost their husbands and received harassment of different kinds, raised many questions on how they could avail themselves of legal help while protecting their rights to life and live peacefully in the society.
Replying to the questions, as a resource person, Legal cum Advocacy Officer, Lawyers' Collective Manipur, Soibam Hemanta talked on the legal aspects under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 with which they could go to court and fight for their rights.
He also assured that the Lawyers' Collective Manipur will fight the case, if any, of PLHA who come forward to them with their complaints.
He also informed that recently Supreme Court of India had passed an order directing the concerned authorities to display complaint box in the public places so that the PLHA could lodge their complaint on difficulties faced by them on getting Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) .
He further said that the concerned authorities of the state health services and the AIDS project director's office will check the complaint box once in every three month.