TBI Blogs: Nirbhaya’s Mother Has Launched a Foundation That Offers Free Legal Aid to Female Victims of Violence

Nirbhaya’s mother Asha Devi has been fighting a tough battle to get justice for her daughter, who was brutally gang-raped and murdered in 2012. Nirbhaya came to symbolize the fight for women’s safety and security, and became the catalyst for major changes to the law on crimes against women.

Asha Devi, along with her husband, will continue to fight against heinous crimes against women and to get justice for the daughters of the country. Seeing her strength and perseverance, many people have approached her asking for her help and guidance on similar crimes committed against them or their daughters.

Though she was strong and persistent, Asha Devi lacked legal potency and force, rendering her ill-advisedly weak. At this juncture, she initiated contact with Lawrato.com, India’s leading lawyer search platform. Lawrato.com, under its Free Legal Aid programme, provided her support of top lawyers to help her understand various aspects of the case closely, and also assisted her till the culmination of her legal struggle.

Nirbhaya finally got justice on 5^th May 2017 when the Supreme Court’s verdict upheld death sentence to the four convicts.

After getting a favourable judgment from the Supreme Court, Asha Devi is now intent on helping others in their struggle for justice.

After navigating through the legal system herself, she is now determined to help others benefit from her experiences. The Nirbhaya Jyoti Trust, founded by Nirbhaya’s parents, offers information and support to people hurt by crime or traumatic experiences. As part of her initiatives under the Nirbhaya Jyoti Trust, Asha Devi has launched NyayaJyoti Foundation in collaboration with LawRato.com. The non-profit organisation aims to provide pro-bono legal advice and litigation support to needy female victims of violent crimes.

Asha Devi iterated at the launch of the Foundation, “My daughter got justice from the legal system. I will now strive to ensure that more daughters of our country get the same.”

According to statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau, crimes against women increased over 43 % from 2011 to 2015. The same also marked an increase of 105 % over the past decade (2005 to 2015).

It is no secret that the country’s capital New Delhi has more reported rape incidents than any city. It currently has a backlog of 3,487 cases in its fast-track courts, with some cases languishing for three years. There were 127 guilty verdicts in 2015, which made up 14 % of judgments.

“Most of our partner lawyers are happy to offer their services pro-bono, if it can help impact society positively. Their support for the initiative has given us the confidence to launch NyayaJyoti,” adds Rohan Mahajan, Founder, LawRato.com.

NyayaJyoti will provide legal assistance through LawRato’s network of 4,500 lawyers, present across 400 cities in India. It will provide direct assistance to the victims of crime through counseling, legal advice, and psychological and economic rehabilitation. NyayaJyoti Foundation has also launched a website, where legal aid seekers can reach out and stay updated on the initiatives undertaken. The foundation will also make it easier for the aggrieved to get in touch with Asha Devi. The Foundation has already identified three cases for which it will be providing assistance.

To learn more about NyayaJyoti and its work, and for legal assistance, visit the website. For additional legal assistance and advice, visit LawRato.com.

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