Centre notifies Good Samaritan SOPs

The Centre has issued a notification ensuring that the affidavit of “Good Samaritan”, a person who voluntarily declares himself to be an eyewitness, shall be treated by the investigating officer as a final statement.

The notification is in response to Supreme Court directions given in the case of SAVELIFE Foundation asking the Centre to issue directions to save Good Samaritans until Parliament frames a law.

Key features:

• According to the notification, the affidavit of Good Samaritan, if filed, shall be treated as a complete statement by the police official while conducting the investigation.
• In case, the statement is to be recorded, the complete statement shall be recorded in a single examination.
• No bystander rushing to the rescue of an accident victim should be subject to civil or criminal liability and/or be forced to be a witness.
• Also, any disclosure of personal information or offer to be a witness, in the event of the Good Samaritan also being an eyewitness to an accident, ought to be voluntary. Further, the examination of such a volunteer as a witness shall be done only on a single occasion and without harassment or intimidation.

• Complete anonymity in case the Good Samaritan does not want to reveal his name or details.
• Use of video-conferencing in case of any further interaction with him by the authorities and provision for the police to examine him at his residence or office or any place of his convenience.

BRICS Women Parliamentarians’ Forum adopts Jaipur Declaration

Jaipur declaration:

• The Declaration calls upon international financial institutions to extend support to developing and least developed countries and help them gain easier access to new and affordable technologies as envisaged under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement.
• The Declaration mentions the need to address climate change and protection of ecological system and forest as well as food security, expeditious parliamentary approval of SDG related legislation and adequate budgetary resources.
• It also emphasizes on plans for incorporating gender concerns and greater involvement of women parliamentarians in integrating citizens in the development process.
• The need to inform and educate citizens about the developmental schemes and institutionalisation of the BRICS Women Parliamentarians’ Forum were also taken up in the declaration which was unanimously adopted.