Ms. Aprajita Joshi, at present Chief Judicial MagIstrate
District Legal Services Authority, Hoshiarpur joined the Punjab Judicial
Services on 18th May, 2011. Ms. Aprajita Joshi had cleared both the
prestigious Judicial Services Examinations of both the States of Punjab &
Haryana but she joined the Judicial Services in the State of Punjab to serve
her Home State i.e. Punjab as a Judicial Officer. Ms. Aprajita Joshi’s first
place of posting was Phagwara in District Karputhala and after serving there
for four years she got transferred to District Ludhiana and remained there for
another three years. In Ludhiana in the year 2016, she got promoted as Addl.
Civil Judge Senior Division and Headed the Juvenile Justice Board,
Ludhiana being the Principal Magistrate Juvenile Justice Board, Ludhiana
and rendered important judgements reforming the Juveniles and played an
important role in counselling and giving appropriate Orders with respect to
Juveniles for their betterment and taking into consideration their future
prospects and overall development. Then Ms. Aprajita Joshi got transferred
to Amritsar in the year 2018 where she again presided over the Juvenile
Justice Board Amritsar and besides being the Addl. Civil Judge Senior
Division in Amritsar she also exercised the powers of Judge Small Causes
Court Amritsar and Principal Magistrate Juvenile Justice Board, Amritsar.
Several Judgments/Orders were passed by her to actually reform the
children in conflict with Law/Juveniles by making them serve as Traffic
Volunteers under the supervision of Traffic Police, Making them plant trees
for improving the environment. She also passed Orders wherein Juveniles
were made to serve the inmates in the Old Age Homes, Patients at the Civil
Hospital/0ther Hospitals at Amritsar and various other community service
Orders which resulted in the reformation of the Juveniles in the true sense.
In an important Judgement, Ms. Aprajita Joshi helped in reunitinga Juvenile
from Pakistan who had crossed the INDO-Pakistan-Border with his family in
Pakistan after making efforts with the Pakistan embassy and Pakistan High
Commission. In the month of April, 2021 Ms. Aprajita Joshi got promoted as
the Chief Judicial Magistrate-cum-Civil Judge Senior Division and was
transferred to District Hoshiarpur where she joined as Chief Judicial
Magistrate-cum-Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, Hoshiarpur
where she is serving at present. In her present role, Ms. Aprajita Joshi
through the DLSA, Hoshiarpur has endeavoured to reach out to the
downtrodden and the Masses to make them aware regarding their rights to
access to Justice, Free Legal Aid, Constitutional Rights etc. During her
several Jail Visits she has sensitized the Jail inmates of their right to Free
Legal Aid, the Constitutional rights, Rights Conferred by the Criminal
Procedure Code, their rights to be represented by a Free Legal Aid Counsel at
pre-arrest, arrest and remand stage and their right to appeal before the
Hon’ble High Court and Hon’ble Supreme Court. Special emphasis has been
laid upon by Ms. Aprajita Joshi to create maximum awareness amongst
female inmates in the Central Jail, Hoshiarpur regarding their rights and
awareness regarding important women centric laws. During her porttolio as
CJM-cum-Secretary, DLSA, Hoshiarpur, a number of seminars/webinars
have been organized by her to sensitize masses/members of general publhc
on various topics i.e. Domestic Violence Act 2005, Protection of Children
from Sexual Offences Act 2012, Consumer Protection Act 2019, PNDT Act
1994, Right to Education Act 2009, Juvenile Justice Act-2015, Protection of
Women from Sexual Harassment at work place, Maternity Benefits Act 1961,
Child Labour Laws, The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006, Dowry
Prohibition Act 1961, NALSA Scheme relating to Compensation to Women
Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault and other crimes-2018, NALSA Scheme
for Mentally Ill and Disabled Persons scheme-2015, NALSA (Legal Services to
victims of Drug abuse and Eradication of Drug Menace) Scheme 2015,
NALSA Scheme Relating to Senior Citizens-2016 and NALSA Scheme for
Children and their Protection-2015 etc. The masses were also sensitized by
Ms. Aprajita Joshi regarding the Punjab Victim Compensation Scheme,
Punjab Financial Assistance to Acid Attack Victims Scheme-2017 so that
people/victims/their legal Heirs could avail the monetary benefits announced
by the State Government as only punishment to the accused is not enough
and the victim needs to be compensated monetarily. Ms. Aprajita Joshi is
actively involved in improvement in the condition of Slum dwellers, inmates
of Old Age Home and Women needing care and counselling services/guidance
through the One Stop Centre and the District Legal Services Authority,
been
Hoshiarpur. Various Women Empowerment Programmes have been
organized by Ms. Aprajita Joshi in collaboration with the National
Commission for Women to create a work force of Women comprising of
women from all walks of life i.e. Doctors, Nurses, Anganwadi Workers, Health
Workers, Lady Police Officials, and School Teachers/Principals etc. Many
complex cases have been solved by Ms. Aprajita Joshi like reuniting an old
abandoned Senior Citizen with his family, provision of monetary help/ other
benefits to the poor and needy through the NGO Sarbat Da Bhala, Provision
of medical Kits/Sanitizers/Dialysis Kits/masks to poor patients through
NGO Sarbat Da Bhala and various other medical benefits to Covid-19
Datients/families. Recently Ms. Aprajita Joshi helped the mother of a girl
stuck in Ukraine in reaching out to the District Administration Hoshiarpur
who was seeking help for her daughters return to India from Ukraine which
is under attack from Russia. Ms. Aprajita Joshi is through her office and with
the help of Para Legal Volunteers reaching out to the victims of Accident
cases in which the accused has not been traced out to provide monetary
compensation to them in the entire District Hoshiarpur. Ms. Aprajita Joshi
through her Para Legal Volunteers is also reaching out to the families of
people who have died due to Covid-19 in District Hoshiarpur to facilitate the
release of Ex-Gratia payment of Rs. 50,000/- each to such family as
announced by the State Government. Ms. Aprajita Joshi is also assisting in
provision of Dry Ration and other benefits to the Sex Workers so that they
can enjoy their fundamentals rights and she is also facilitating the
preparation of their identity cards without insisting on their identity proofs.
Ms. Aprajita Joshi, CJM-cum-Secretary, District Legal Services
Authority, Hoshairpur through her office is making every effort to reach out
to the downtrodden, marginalized and weaker sections of the society so that
Justice whether social, economic, political or legal is meted out to them and
they get to enjoy their fundamental rights guaranteed by the Indian
Constitution and making them aware of their duties towards the society as
well. Efforts are also being made to create awareness amongst children in
various schools/colleges regarding social evils so that they can contribute to
the society being its future. Women are being sensitized regarding their
important role in the society making them aware of women centric laws
including stopping female foeticide and leaving no stone unturned in
empowering the women in District Hoshiarpur. Wherever there is any kind of
injustice, Ms. Aprajita Joshi makes it her duty and responsibility to address
the grievance of any person facing such injustice and to remedy the same by
offering the best possible solutions. Besides this she plays an active role in
organizing the National Lok Adalat at the District and Sub-Divisional Level in
Hoshiarpur for making it a success and People’s Lok Adalat in every possible
manner.
