Patna: A Catholic nun lawyer practicing in Patna High Court on Tuesday conducted a legal awareness course for students of a Jesuit college in the Bihar state capital.
The informative sessions helped students of St Xavier’s College in Patna understand the process of filing a First Information Report (FIR) as well as their rights if they entwine themselves into a legal tangle. The knowledge would also enable them help others.
Congregation of Jesus Sister Cynthia, who practices in the Patna High Court, conducted the session. She explained in detail about FIR, how it is lodged, how to write an FIR, who can file FIR and contents of FIR.
She said that a person must obtain a copy of an FIR from the police and that no fee is to be paid to file an FIR. She also explained what a person should do if a police officer refuses to record an FIR.
Students were also told about bailable, non-bailable, cognizable, non-cognizable offence, arrest, arrest warrant and when a person can be arrested without a warrant.
The nun lawyer also explained Article 22 of the Constitution and Section 50 Criminal Penal Code (CrPc) that deals with the rights of an arrested person, juvenile arrests, and the rights of a woman if she faces arrest and the conditions under which a person can be hand-cuffed.
Students asked several questions during the session and clarified their doubts pertaining to FIR (Section 154 CrPc). First, second and third year students of BA and B.Com participated in the session.
Sr. Cynthia is also involved in helping abandoned and helpless prisoners in Beur Jail and she is a member of Patna Xavier Legal Aid Cell. She also campaigns for secularism based on the Constitution of India.