Sikkim: PT Bhutia awarded Best NE Para-legal Volunteer

Gangtok, October 29, 2013

Sikkim’s Passang Tshering Bhutia was awarded the best para-legal volunteer from the Northeastern Zone during a national level meet of the para-legal volunteers in New Delhi on October 26.

The 45-year-old from Namchi based Dristi NGO, selected from among the 35 best performing para-legal volunteers of the country, received the award for his contribution in disseminating information about legal aid to the needy, participating in legal awareness camps, manning legal aid clinics in south district and being involved as social activist in the matters concerning juvenile justice, school dropouts, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS and women and children.

As a para-legal volunteer, amongst others, he has given counselling to the juveniles and has helped them to reform themselves from the path of rectitude.

Chief Justice of India Justice P. Sathasivam presented the award to Bhutia in the august presence of the Supreme Court judges, a galaxy of executive chairpersons and member secretaries of all State Legal Services Authorities (SLSA), and judicial officers from all over India.

The awards were divided into six categories: five regional (zonal) categories comprising of North, South, East, West and the North-East zones and one national best.

Each of the 28 States and seven Union Territories had to select one best performing para-legal volunteer and one District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) from their State/UTs.

Passang Tshering Bhutia was selected by the Sikkim State Legal Services Authority for Sikkim State.

The meet was organised by National Legal Service Authority in coordination with Delhi Legal Services Authority to recognize the good work done by the paralegal volunteers along with the work done by the DLSAs.

Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Justice N.V. Ramana and executive chairman of DLSA Justice Badar Durrez Ahmed were present on the dais.

Executive chairman of Sikkim SLSA, Justice S.P. Wangdi, also Judge, High Court of Sikkim and member of the Central Authority of NALSA attended the function along with member secretary, Sikkim SLSA, Karma W. Bhutia, chairperson of District Legal Services Authority (East) Meenakshi M. Rai and its secretary Suraj Chettri.

(Courtesy: Sikkim Express)