A two-day Indo-British seminar on “Human Rights: A Challenge to the Legal Landscape” jointly organized by the Inns of Court (India) Society, Lawyers in Development, UK and the British Council was held on 5 January 2002.



The Union Law Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley, who spoke on the occasion, stressed the need to strengthen the human rights movement in the country. However, he condemned “pseudo human rights organizations” for using ‘rights’ as a front to justify heinous crimes. He said that the hijacking of the human rights movement by militants and terrorists was not only giving a bad name to the movement but was also eroding its credibility. He added that stringent steps should to be taken against such organizations in order to enable the country to effectively fight the low intensity war it is facing.



Speaking next, Justice J.S. Verma, Chairperson, NHRC saw no problem in ‘identifying, isolating and dealing with organizations involved in spurious human rights activities’. But, he added, legal procedures should not be changed so as to deny people a fair trial. Further, it was essential to ensure that innocent persons do not suffer.



He pointed out that even the United Nations resolution, passed on 28 September 2001 after the ‘September 11 attacks’ in the United States of America, had stated that anti-terrorist measures should be taken keeping in mind international human rights conventions. The Chairperson asserted that human dignity was at the core of all human rights and that respect for such rights was not incompatible with the preservation of national unity and integrity. There should be a balance between individual liberty and the laws fighting terrorism. Though, it was difficult to maintain such a balance, this was essential if the spirit of the Constitution was to be respected.



Baroness Helena Kennedy, QC, Chair British Council, observed that there was a need to balance respect for human rights with the necessity to fight against terrorism. Referring to certain crucial issues facing the human rights movement, she said that, while identifying universal values for culturally different countries, there was need to bring the language of human rights within the laws of the land.



Others who expressed their views on the occasion were Senior Advocate and President of the Inns of Court (India) Society, Mr. Ashok Desai, former Chairman of the Bar of England and Wales and Presiding Judge, Northern Circuit Justice, Penry Davey, and the Director of the British Council, Mr. Edmund Marsden.