MUMBAI: Entrepreneur and founder of All India Mahila Empowerment Party (AIMEP) Nowhera Shaikh has founded a group to help undertrials, especially women, languishing in jails for want of legal aid or bail amount.
Called Heera Law Associates, this firm will work for the poor prisoners who were jailed for petty crimes or are first time offenders. Many undertrials can get bail if they are provided legal support and bail amount, but not many good Samaritans come forward to help these inmates.
"Heera Law Associates aims to take an innovativelegal approach to prisoner transformation and we see it as a radical move. We intend to collaborate with prison authorities throughout India and build a model for improving the quality of life for prisoners. We will also try to get the bails for deserving inmates, especially women. This will help transform prisons across India,” said a spokesperson.
Nowhera Shaikh is an entrepreneur and founder of the All-India Mahila Empowerment Party (MEP). The party was founded in 201 with the aim to provide political representation of women in the country. The party, claimed a spokesperson, has focused on social justice and empowerment of women through political representation. The party has contested various state and national elections in the country.
Her decision to help the poor prisoners, mainly those who are first time offenders or lack legal aid and bail amount, can motivate many to do something for the undertrials. A couple of months ago, President of India Draupadi Murmu, at a meeting of members from the legal fraternity where many senior luminaries, including judges were present, had suggested that we need to reduce the number of prisons, not construct more. She stressed the need to help poor undertrials, especially from marginalised groups, who land up in jails and languish there for months as they do not have wherewithal or legal awareness to get bails.
In this backdrop, Nowhera Shaikh’s efforts may help bring some change in the condition of prisons and get many undertrials out on bail.
