CJI Surya Kant to inaugurate first ‘Centre for Victims’ Rights’ in Patna

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant. | Photo credit: PTI

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant will inaugurate a first-of-its-kind ‘Centre for Victims’ Rights’ at the Bihar State Legal Services Authority (BLSA) in Patna on Saturday (September 26, 2026).

A transgender helpline will also be launched and a fleet of multi-purpose vehicles will be flagged off on the occasion. In addition, the Chief Justice of India will also issue a Legal Services Authority publication on the dedicated centre.

The center is the first of its kind in the country and is conceived as a pilot project of the Bihar State Legal Services Authority.

Why does it matter?

Currently, there is no single body that takes a victim, identifies for them all the rights available to them in a given case, and brings each of them to a conclusion. The rights given by law therefore remain unclaimed. The gap is in coordination and not in the law.

The center provides a gateway by giving some space to the victim by keeping a record of each case so that the victim does not have to repeat the bill at each counter. In addition, there will be internal timelines for which the center remains accountable to the authority. A case would only be closed if help was obtained and the outcome verified, or if the victim determined it should be closed.

The center would operate from the office’s premises, with its existing staff and resources, and through the police, hospitals, child care committees, One Stop Centers, government agencies and organizations already working in the field.

It was created under the leadership of Justice V. Kameswar Rao, Chief Justice of the Patna High Court and Chief Patron of BLSA along with Justice Sudhir Singh, Judge, Patna High Court and Executive Chairman of the Authority, on whose instructions the project was approved and implemented. The political management of the center rests on a steering committee chaired by a judge of the Patna High Court. Justice Ajeet Kumar is its first chairman.

Transgender Helpline

In addition to the specialized center, a transgender helpline will also be launched. It will work with the authority’s 2023 plan for transgender people’s consolidation, rehabilitation and access to justice, which is being implemented by the Transgender People (Protection of Rights) Act 2019. The center will help with identity cards and access to housing, employment, health care and welfare benefits.

The authority’s publication on the center explaining the scheme, the standard operating procedure binding on it and the prescribed forms on which each phase is recorded was written by advocate Shama Sinha, who serves as its project coordinator for the centre.

The pilot project will operate in Patna for 12 months. After evaluation, it will be extended to other districts through the district offices of legal services.

Published – 23 Sep 2026 22:05 IST