Patna: Representatives from the judiciary, police, prison administration, social welfare departments, academia and civil society on Saturday deliberated on ways to strengthen Bihar’s response to gender-based violence and child protection, and suggested reform measures to curb these social evils.The discussions were part of ‘Jan Nyay Samvaad 2026: Recognising Harm, Securing Justice and Ensuring Dignity’, organised by Janman People’s Foundation in partnership with the Gender Resource Centre of CNLU and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Bihar.Delivering the keynote address, former Patna high court judge Anjana Prakash said legal aid is a constitutional right, not a favour. She stressed that all victims of gender-based violence must receive full protection from the judiciary as well as from an enlightened civil society.Presiding over the event, CNLU vice-chancellor Faizan Mustafa said, “If a Uniform Civil Code aims to incorporate the best elements from all personal laws, why not include the concept of dower from Muslim personal law, which safeguards a woman’s financial rights? Further, since the UCC does not restrict testamentary powers, Muslim fathers may continue to bequeath their entire property to their sons through wills.”Among those present were Bihar State Legal Services Authority member secretary Dharmendra Kumar Singh, senior DSP Basanti Tudu, India Justice Report co-founder and lead Valay Singh, and CNLU registrar S P Singh.The consultation concluded with a commitment to prepare actionable recommendations for the judiciary, state departments, legal services authorities and other stakeholders working on gender justice and child protection in Bihar.
Participants at the CNLU programme on Saturday
