DHCBA confers Fight For Justice awards on litigants who fought against all odds in landmark cases

The Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) along with Live4Freedom LLP organised the first Fight for Justice Awards on Monday to honour litigants who won cases in the Supreme Court against all odds and whose tireless efforts resulted in landmark judgments as well as changes in the law..Former Chief Justice of India NV Ramana was the chief guest at the event. Eight litigants were awarded in eight different categories. Here is a list of categories, awardees and their contributions in brief:.Criminal Cases.Winner: Asha Devi (Nirbhaya’s mother)Asha Devi fought for justice for her daughter Nirbhaya, who was raped and murdered in 2013. The case led to widespread protests across the country and resulted in major changes in the criminal law. It was after the Nirbhaya incident that acid attack, voyeurism, stalking and several other acts were recognised as offences and added to the Indian Penal Code. .Women Cases.Winner: Shayara BanoShayara Bano approached the Supreme Court of India against the practice of Triple Talaq. In 2017, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court declared the practice of Triple Talaq unconstitutional by a 3:2 majority..Administration and Governance Cases.Winners: Commanders Annie Nagaraja and Priya KhuranaThe Supreme Court, while dealing with the case filed by Commanders Annie Nagaraja and Priya Khurana, held that Short Service Commission women officers in the Navy were entitled to permanent commission and that they must be treated at par with male officers..Labour Cases.Winner: Bezwada WilsonBezwada Wilson is one of the founders of the Safai Karmachari Andolan. He was instrumental in the case which led the Supreme Court to order that ₹10 lakh compensation must be paid in each case of death due to manual scavenging. In its judgment, the Supreme Court also asserted that the practice of manual scavenging is in violation of constitutional and human rights..Environment Cases.Winner: Late Abdul Jabbar KhanHimself a victim of the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Abdul Jabbar Khan later became an activist who fought for other victims. Khan set up the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan (BGPMUS) and is credited with leading the victims’ fight in the Supreme Court of India..Specially-abled Persons Cases.Winner: Nipun MalhotraNipun Malhotra was born with a rare disease. He has been instrumental in creating exemptions for persons with disabilities during Delhi's odd-even scheme, introduction of low-floor buses in the national capital and fostering greater understanding of the difficulties faced by the specially-abled persons..Child Rights Cases.Winner: Bachpan Bachao AndolanBachpan Bachao Andolan is an organisation founded by Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi. It was the organisation's efforts that led the Supreme Court to order governments to take efforts to save children from alcohol and drugs abuse in 2018.The apex court also ordered the government to enforce the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act 2015 and to formulate a national plan to address the areas of concern..Lifetime Achievement.Winner: Neelam Krishnamoorthy (for fighting the Uphaar tragedy case)Neelam Krishnamoorthy lost her two teenaged children in the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire. She co-founded the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT), which fought several legal battles against the Ansals for more than two decades..Speaking at the event, DHCBA Vice-President Jatan Singh said that these awards are an effort to recognise litigants who fought against all odds to bring justice not only for themselves, but also society at large, and to make the path a little easier for others who are fighting similar battles.Singh said that these awards are the result of nearly four years of hard work.DHCBA President and Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur remarked that while judges are revered for justice and lawyers are recognised as doyens, litigants are also an integral part of ‘temple of justice’.“While lawyers and judges spend their lives with an impersonal approach and remain detached, today we are celebrating people who have helped establish rule of law with their tireless approach,” he said..The awards were decided by a jury of following members:Justice Rajendra Menon, Chairman, Armed Forces Tribunal and former Chief Justice of Delhi High Court;Justice Kailash Gambhir, former judge of Delhi High Court;Justice Challa Kodanda Ram, former judge of Telangana High Court;Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa;Senior Advocate and DHCBA President Mohit Mathur;BK Gupta, former Commissioner of Delhi Police.Ananya Khanna, Aehsas Puri, Siddharth Singh, Abhishek Budhiraja and Rohit Sharma worked as researchers on shortlisting the nominees.