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CJI Dipak Misra calls for policy to combat human trafficking
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra termed human trafficking as the “greatest human tragedy”.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra on Saturday voiced a need for a policy to combat the menace of human trafficking and advocated the need for “judicial acitvism” in this regard.
“What happens in human trafficking is the loss of identity. All of us have to come together. Plan a policy how shall we go about it legally. Who would be our activists? A phrase was used and I must, in my own way, define activism as judicial activism,” he said at an event organised by the the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Law (SAARCLAW) and Justice and Care, a multi-disciplinary organisation fighting trafficking.
Terming human trafficking as the “greatest human tragedy”, the CJI said, “As a student of law I understand that it is the interpretation of the Constitution in an expansive manner which the court is obliged to do. We will have to protect the citizen and annul this kind of activity.”
He also named poverty as one of the major reasons behind human trafficking.
Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Gita Mittal, Nepal Supreme Court Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla and Attorney General of India KK Venugopal also spoke at the event.
While Justice Mittal said traffiking exists not because of a few thousand who indulge in it, but because millions of people stay silent about it, Justice Malla pointed out that technology had made people more vulnerable.
Venugopal called upon SAARC nations to unify their efforts. “We are hoping SAARC law acts as a catalyst in bringing together citizens...” he said.
