Special Feature On Women Day

 Special Feature On Women Day

Dedicated Judicial Officer Aparajita Joshi

Hoshiarpur=Daljeet Ajnoha=March 7

Ms. Aprajita Joshi, at present Chief Judicial MagIstrate

District Legal Services Authority, Hoshiarpur joined the Punjab Judicial

Services on 18th May, 2011. Ms. Aprajita Joshi had cleared both the

prestigious Judicial Services Examinations of both the States of Punjab &

Haryana but she joined the Judicial Services in the State of Punjab to serve

her Home State i.e. Punjab as a Judicial Officer. Ms. Aprajita Joshi’s first

place of posting was Phagwara in District Karputhala and after serving there

for four years she got transferred to District Ludhiana and remained there for

another three years. In Ludhiana in the year 2016, she got promoted as Addl.

Civil Judge Senior Division and Headed the Juvenile Justice Board,

Ludhiana being the Principal Magistrate Juvenile Justice Board, Ludhiana

and rendered important judgements reforming the Juveniles and played an

important role in counselling and giving appropriate Orders with respect to

Juveniles for their betterment and taking into consideration their future

prospects and overall development. Then Ms. Aprajita Joshi got transferred

to Amritsar in the year 2018 where she again presided over the Juvenile

Justice Board Amritsar and besides being the Addl. Civil Judge Senior

Division in Amritsar she also exercised the powers of Judge Small Causes

Court Amritsar and Principal Magistrate Juvenile Justice Board, Amritsar.

Several Judgments/Orders were passed by her to actually reform the

children in conflict with Law/Juveniles by making them serve as Traffic

Volunteers under the supervision of Traffic Police, Making them plant trees

for improving the environment. She also passed Orders wherein Juveniles

were made to serve the inmates in the Old Age Homes, Patients at the Civil

Hospital/0ther Hospitals at Amritsar and various other community service

Orders which resulted in the reformation of the Juveniles in the true sense.

In an important Judgement, Ms. Aprajita Joshi helped in reunitinga Juvenile

from Pakistan who had crossed the INDO-Pakistan-Border with his family in

Pakistan after making efforts with the Pakistan embassy and Pakistan High

Commission. In the month of April, 2021 Ms. Aprajita Joshi got promoted as

the Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Civil Judge Senior Division and was

transferred to District Hoshiarpur where she joined as Chief Judicial

Magistrate-cum-Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Hoshiarpur

where she is serving at present. In her present role, Ms. Aprajita Joshi

through the DLSA, Hoshiarpur has endeavoured to reach out to the

downtrodden and the Masses to make them aware regarding their rights to

access to Justice, Free Legal Aid, Constitutional Rights etc. During her

several Jail Visits she has sensitized the Jail inmates of their right to Free

Legal Aid, the Constitutional rights, Rights Conferred by the Criminal

Procedure Code, their rights to be represented by a Free Legal Aid Counsel at

pre-arrest, arrest and remand stage and their right to appeal before the

Hon’ble High Court and Hon’ble Supreme Court. Special emphasis has been

laid upon by Ms. Aprajita Joshi to create maximum awareness amongst

female inmates in the Central Jail, Hoshiarpur regarding their rights and

awareness regarding important women centric laws. During her porttolio as

CJM-cum-Secretary, DLSA, Hoshiarpur, a number of seminars/webinars

have been organized by her to sensitize masses/members of general publhc

on various topics i.e. Domestic Violence Act 2005, Protection of Children

from Sexual Offences Act 2012, Consumer Protection Act 2019, PNDT Act

1994, Right to Education Act 2009, Juvenile Justice Act-2015, Protection of

Women from Sexual Harassment at work place, Maternity Benefits Act 1961,

Child Labour Laws, The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006, Dowry

Prohibition Act 1961, NALSA Scheme relating to Compensation to Women

Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault and other crimes-2018, NALSA Scheme

for Mentally Ill and Disabled Persons scheme-2015, NALSA (Legal Services to

victims of Drug abuse and Eradication of Drug Menace) Scheme 2015,

NALSA Scheme Relating to Senior Citizens-2016 and NALSA Scheme for

Children and their Protection-2015 etc. The masses were also sensitized by

Ms. Aprajita Joshi regarding the Punjab Victim Compensation Scheme,

Punjab Financial Assistance to Acid Attack Victims Scheme-2017 so that

people/victims/their legal Heirs could avail the monetary benefits announced

by the State Government as only punishment to the accused is not enough

and the victim needs to be compensated monetarily. Ms. Aprajita Joshi is

actively involved in improvement in the condition of Slum dwellers, inmates

of Old Age Home and Women needing care and counselling services/guidance

through the One Stop Centre and the District Legal Services Authority,

been

Hoshiarpur. Various Women Empowerment Programmes have been

organized by Ms. Aprajita Joshi in collaboration with the National

Commission for Women to create a work force of Women comprising of

women from all walks of life i.e. Doctors, Nurses, Anganwadi Workers, Health

Workers, Lady Police Officials, and School Teachers/Principals etc. Many

complex cases have been solved by Ms. Aprajita Joshi like reuniting an old

abandoned Senior Citizen with his family, provision of monetary help/ other

benefits to the poor and needy through the NGO Sarbat Da Bhala, Provision

of medical Kits/Sanitizers/Dialysis Kits/masks to poor patients through

NGO Sarbat Da Bhala and various other medical benefits to Covid-19

Datients/families. Recently Ms. Aprajita Joshi helped the mother of a girl

stuck in Ukraine in reaching out to the District Administration Hoshiarpur

who was seeking help for her daughters return to India from Ukraine which

is under attack from Russia. Ms. Aprajita Joshi is through her office and with

the help of Para Legal Volunteers reaching out to the victims of Accident

cases in which the accused has not been traced out to provide monetary

compensation to them in the entire District Hoshiarpur. Ms. Aprajita Joshi

through her Para Legal Volunteers is also reaching out to the families of

people who have died due to Covid-19 in District Hoshiarpur to facilitate the

release of Ex-Gratia payment of Rs. 50,000/- each to such family as

announced by the State Government. Ms. Aprajita Joshi is also assisting in

provision of Dry Ration and other benefits to the Sex Workers so that they

can enjoy their fundamentals rights and she is also facilitating the

preparation of their identity cards without insisting on their identity proofs.

Ms. Aprajita Joshi, CJM-cum-Secretary, District Legal Services

Authority, Hoshairpur through her office is making every effort to reach out

to the downtrodden, marginalized and weaker sections of the society so that

Justice whether social, economic, political or legal is meted out to them and

they get to enjoy their fundamental rights guaranteed by the Indian

Constitution and making them aware of their duties towards the society as

well. Efforts are also being made to create awareness amongst children in

various schools/colleges regarding social evils so that they can contribute to

the society being its future. Women are being sensitized regarding their

important role in the society making them aware of women centric laws

including stopping female foeticide and leaving no stone unturned in

empowering the women in District Hoshiarpur. Wherever there is any kind of

injustice, Ms. Aprajita Joshi makes it her duty and responsibility to address

the grievance of any person facing such injustice and to remedy the same by

offering the best possible solutions. Besides this she plays an active role in

organizing the National Lok Adalat at the District and Sub-Divisional Level in

Hoshiarpur for making it a success and People’s Lok Adalat in every possible

manner.