Civic society should be legally aware: judge

Principal District and Sessions Judge Kadluru Satyanarayanacharya said legal knowledge is not the exclusive domain of lawyers and judges.

“It is the duty of people from all walks of life to have basic knowledge of the law,” he reminded.

Satyanarayanacharya was addressing the gathering after flagging off the Legal Awareness Chariot and the Mobile Janata Court organised by the District Legal Services Authority, the district administration, the SVEEP Committee, the City Police Commissionerate, and the SDM Law College on the campus of the University College, Hampankatta, on Friday.

Satyanarayanacharya said that the public should have some knowledge of the law. “The civic society needs to be more sensitive on legal issues. Also, students to be ambassadors of legal awareness,” said the judge.

‘Self-centric laws’

“Nowadays, the law is being implemented to create legal binding on children and grandchildren to look after their parents and grandparents, respectively. This indicates that human beings have become self-centric,” he said with disappointment.

Referring to the rampant violation of building rules and traffic norms, he felt that there was a need for strict implementation of the law in this regard.

Calling upon all eligible voters to exercise their franchise, the sessions judge said that voters have been given the right to exercise NOTA if they do not opt for any candidate. “Booth capturing and other electoral malpractices have stopped since the introduction of the electronic voting machines, which are foolproof,” Satyanarayanacharya added.

‘Inform the police’

DCP (Crime and Traffic) Uma Prashanth said that when it came to law, ignorance was not a bliss. “Youth should be a part of the system that safeguards the law. If students come across incidents of unlawful activities, they can inform the police,” she said, and asked the students to follow the traffic rules and create awareness on the same.

University Evening College principal Ramakrishna B N presided over the programme. Regional Transport Officer G S Hegade, Mangaluru Bar Association president M R Ballal, University College Economics Department convener Jayavanth Nayak and Mangaluru tahsildar Guruprasad were present during the flagging off ceremony.

A demonstration of the electronic voting machines and VVPAT was held on the occasion, for the knowledge of the students.

Journey

The Legal Awareness Chariot visited the Central Market area in Mangaluru; Govinda Dasa College, Surathkal; and Primacy Industries, Bykampady. EVM demonstrations were held in all these places.

The legal chariot will also visit the RTO premises in Mangaluru, the bus stand, Derlakatte, Yenepoya Medical College, Thokkottu and the police quarters in Hampankatta on March 23.

Demonstrations on use of EVMs will be held at all these places.

Awareness crusader on motorbike

The motorbike of Basavaraj S Kallusakkare of Tumakuru was the special attraction during the flagging off ceremony of the legal awareness chariot. The motorbike carried messages to encourage people to vote.

Basavaraj has carried out awareness campaigns in government schools and colleges in 21 districts. He aims to visit all the 30 districts in Karnataka. He visited Mangaluru on Friday, after covering 4,000 km on his motorbike.

Basavaraj said that he had resigned from his job to carry out his mission. “I do not claim to change the society, but my step will certainly make a difference,” he said with confidence.