Equal justice initiative for India.
Founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson, a widely acclaimed public interest lawyer and bestselling author of Just Mercy, the Equal Justice Initiative(EJI) is a private, 501©(3) nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons.
The org has along with the legal team was able to free people who have been falsely accused. This was not a straight process and Bryan had to face challenges and he had to fight the system that failed us. If if was not for Bryan, we wouldn’t have seen the wrong that was happening to the poor and under privileged. It was a long battle and people can reach out to EJI if they are facing discrimination or falsely accused. There is a hope for those people coz they know EJI can and will fight for them. This was only possible as people like Bryan stood up against Injustice. It wouldn’t be possible to do anything like that if the system failed them completely.. in many cases, they had to suffer just because the other were privileged or had undue influence. The EJI was able to work through the system and found their identity and made sure justice was not denied.. The movie “Just Mercy” also captures some of the initial cases that were taken up by EJI.
What we see today in India is that the system has failed. The system that was supposed to protect the citizens has failed completely. The largest democracy in the world suddenly looks like a nation run by crooks and thugs. There is a pattern in which communities are targeted. There is a hate brigade which runs IT cells and targets individuals. There is large scale corruption and those who were elected by the people are being bought with money. The agencies that were setup to investigate malpractices and corruption is being used to target individuals. There is a fear created and those who speak out against the current regime are made to suffer. There is an investigation or a false case filed . The Agencies and institutions have no choice than to follow orders. Those who speak out will he made to suffer or silenced.
There is definitely a need for Equal Justice initiative for India(EJII). One may ask why there is a need for a private org? This is because there shouldn’t be any influence from political parties. The parties are free to support but it shouldn’t be about them. India has seen a similar movement pre 2014. The India against corruption could have been our EJI.. however, this whole movement turned out to be joke and for their own political aspirations. The movement has lost its focus and there is no hope. There are currently organizations like ICLU who are making an effort to help people who are being targeted. The ICLU volunteers have been working on several issues and provided legal help to the invidiuals. If someone is being false targeted or need legal help, they can contact ICLU.
There is also the non profit which is similar to EJI. This is non profit run by Harsh Mander and team. The
has done great work and is the voice for the voiceless for many Indians.
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The EJII movement can be the voice for the falsely accused and for those who are in prisons. The mentality of people should change coz anyone can be put behind bars. The individual doesn’t have to commit any crime. The people shouldn’t be afraid to support the individuals who are falsely accused. What we see today in india is that there is FIR filed against individuals and the allegations are that they tried to assasinate the Prime minister of india. There is allegation that the individuals have a last name from a community and they have been supporting terrorist activities. There are several other similar allegations and encounters.. the normal people are unable to even ask questions coz they fear that they will be implicated. When the system fails, it is important to speak up. If they can put innocent people behind bars then they can accuse anyone and can sentence people without evidence.
Any nation that calls itself a democracy should remember that it cannot be always the “my way or the freeway attitude” and people will rise and speak against the injustice. It is their right and they can seek justice and nothing can stop them. The legal hurdles and vendetta politics is something that need to be handled. There should be support system or an org that would fight for them. To fight a legal case, the individual will have to pay the legal fees and wait for an hearing. The Judiciary has several cases and hearing dates are not easily available unless it’s an high profile case. The Judiciary is the important pillar of democracy and it looks like the Judges are also being influenced or being threatened. The people are starting to lose hope in the judiciary as they feel there is no point in going to courts.
The Equal justice initiative for India should be provide the legal help for the people. The team should be able to pull in Advocates who can fight the cases for the client regardless of their race, sex, religion. The lawyers should be able to bring justice. There will be many people who will then reach out. The EJII should be able to help people who have been treated badly by the Upper Caste and privileged category. The largest democracy will only thrive if equal justice is provided to every individual and not a select few.
The EJII can bringing all the orgs fighting for the same cause under the same umbrella. The Karwan E mohabbat, the ICLU, the polis Project and the fact checking website Altnews india can be part of the collaboration and provide legal support for the individuals falsely accused and targeted. There is a need for financial support and people should step forward and donate generously and be part of the change. Any individual or org should also be able to join the EJII. They can help with providing emotional and financial support. They can also be on fundraising teams or part of community outreach teams.
The need of the hour is the EJII or similar movement to fight the system that has been hijacked by influencial and political masters.
Justice may be delayed but justice cannot be denied to an individual
Jai Hind!!
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