PESHAWAR, March 29: The society for Protection of the Rights of the Child, a national NGO, has asked for providing free legal aid to juvenile prisoners in line with the relevant law.

A press release on Wednesday said that scores of juveniles continued to languish in various prisons of NWFP without having access to legal aid.

It said that the Registrar of Peshawar High Court had sent a letter on Aug 2004 to all session judges to form panel of lawyers for providing free legal aid at state expense and such panels have already been notified in Peshawar, Mardan, Dera Ismail Khan, Swabi and Charsadda districts. However these panels have contributed little for minimising the suffering of juveniles.

The SPARC has initiated its free legal aid services since December 2005 and has so far succeeded in providing free legal aid to 66 children coming in contact with the law not only in Peshawar but also through its CRCs (Child Rights Committees) in Dera Ismail Khan, Swabi, Swat, Kohat and Abbottabad districts.

Out of these 66 children, 41 cases of juveniles were pursued on behalf of juveniles languishing in Central Jail Peshawar. So far bails have been granted to 23 juveniles while six bail applications were rejected by judicial magistrates in Peshawar.

The SPARC has moved bail applications in the court of session judge Peshawar on their behalf. The lawyers of CRC in D. I. Khan, Swat, Swabi and Abbottabad have managed the release of 16 juveniles from jails.

The SPARC not only demands the notification of active panels of lawyers in districts where such panels have not been yet notified but also requests the government departments, especially police and prison and general public to contact the SPARC Peshawar office, in case they feel that a child cannot afford to hire the services of a legal practitioner, not only in Peshawar but all major cities of NWFP.