On Friday 19th June, IBJ India Fellow Ajay Verma and San Francisco Public defender Manohar Raju, along with the Union Territory of Pondicherry Legal Services Authority, conducted a training session for legal aid lawyers in Pondicherry, India. The day-long training began with a welcome by Ajay Verma highlighting the role of IBJ in providing effective representation to every man, woman and child before the court of law.
IBJ India Fellow Ajay Verma introduces the workshop
The workshop was introduced by Manohar Raju, and began with a video about the use of torture throughout the world. This was followed by an address from Mr. K. Uthirapathy Hon’ble Member Secretary in which he expressed gratitude and hoped that the training would be useful for all members of the bar.
The participating lawyers began by introducing themselves and sharing their expectations for the day, and Session One began with the participants listing some difficulties they faced in criminal defense cases. These included: that facts were not disclosed to the lawyers, unavailability of copies of the case, pressure on counsel as well as judges, lack of infrastructure, stigma being attached to the counsel for the accused, etc.
Session Two began with a clip of the O.J. Simpson trial, to identify effective techniques of criminal defense.
Participants discussing the centrality of early access to counsel
This was followed by a discussion on the importance of early access to counsel, as well as the origin of that right. During these discussion questions, the pay defenders receive was raised repeatedly. It was generally agreed that a pay increase would lead to better practice.
The focus of the day was the importance of early access to counsel and the client/lawyer relationship, and this session in Pondicherry marks the third criminal defense training session in India.