As a Psychiatric Counselor in the Prison:
Mr. K R Raja worked as a Psychiatric Counselor in Palayamkkottai Central Prison from March 3, 2013, to provide counselling services to the mentally disturbed prisoners in the Palayamkottai Central Prison on payment of an honorarium of Rs. 15,000/- per month for the period of 3 years between November 2013 to April 2016 as per the G.O. (Ms) No.: 704/Home (Prison- III) Department, Dated on 17.09.2013. Mr. K R Raja subsequently resigned his job on April 16, 2016, and to expand the intensive rehabilitation work in other regions and to cover Madurai Central Prison.
During the period of his work at the Palayamkottai Central Prison as a Psychiatric Counselor from 2013 to 2016, Mr. K R Raja had mainly concentrated on the mental well-being of prison inmates in order to reform and rehabilitate them particularly to reduce recidivism. He also offered psycho-social counselling to 2,528 inmates (1,912 inmates categorized remanded inmates e.g. first time offenders, habitual offenders, hard core offenders, preventive detainees and 616 life-term inmates) with the ultimate motive of reducing the crime rate in the country at the earliest possible manner and through using psycho-social therapeutic techniques.
Mr. K R Raja has travelled extensively (about 8,000 kms to Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Kanyakumari, Tenkasi, Madurai, Theni, Dindigul, Sivagangai, Virudnagar, Ramanathapuram, and Trichy districts) for the past 7 years and visited more than 500 children and the families of prisoners who have been affected by crimes and imprisonment. He has mobilized educational scholarship for 205 children of prison inmates through direct beneficiaries’ transfer mode. The fund raised a totalled a sum of Rs. 7,39,000/- for 2014-15 and Rs. 4,93,000/- for 2015-16 academic years. Every academic year nearly 6 lakhs raised for benefitting 250 children with educational scholarship from 2017-2023.
There are 43 students pursuing their higher education in colleges and universities; more than 400 children are studying are studying in various schools and all these children are either victims of crime or deprived of parental care due to imprisonment of their father or mother. The funds raised for the scholarships through the academic years 2014-2021 were distributed to these children through the direct beneficiary’s transfer mode. All of these children are invisible victims of crimes but through Mr. Raja’s support they all are studying. Now, by seeing their children study, the imprisoned parents have also showed positive sign for reformation. With such support he entertains the strong belief that we can break the vicious cycle of inter-generational crime. He briefly worked in People’s Watch before joining the Government Law College, Madurai.
As a Student of Govt. Law College
Mr. K R Raja has now completed his Masters Degree in Law (L.L.M) at the National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University of Law, Telangana, India. In fact, he was unable to join the Government Law College, Madurai, affiliated by the Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Chennai to complete his under graduation in Law (L.L.B) which was only enabled by an order of High Court in WP (MD) No. 18276 of 2016 dated 03.10.2016.
During his days as a student at the Government Law College, Madurai, he had the privilege to assist the Hon’ble Madurai Bench of Madras High Court in a Criminal Appeal Case – Crl. A (MD) No. 253 of 2016 to identify vulnerable children of the prisoners to find out the rehabilitation measures taken/to be taken in respect of those children. This Hon’ble Court had also appointed amicus curie and directed the Government to implement the provisions of Juvenile Justice Act to protect those children who are left orphan-like, with the mother having breathed her last and the father under incarceration.
Upon the successful completion of his L.L.B degree from the Government Law College, Madurai, he enrolled himself as an advocate in the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu & Puducherry on 26.11.2019 (Constitutional Day) and is currently practicing as an advocate before this Hon’ble Court since December 2019.
Besides, Mr. K R Raja has completed his B.A (Philosophy) from the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, Mylapore, Chennai and also obtained a Masters in Social Work with specialization in Medical & Psychiatric Counselling from the Pondicherry Central University. He has also completed M.A Criminology & Police Science from the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli.
A Founder of an NGO
Mr. K R Raja is basically a Medical & Psychiatric social worker who works in identifying and helping the children of prison inmates and crime victims with their education. In addition, he is a co-founder of “Global Network for Equality – India” (GNE-India) which is a registered social service organization in Tamil Nadu, India. Its primary aim is to reconstruct the lives of children of crime victims in India by eliminating stigma through appropriate care, education, emotional support and a conducive environment to enable them to cope with the deprivation of parental care, and further to reduce the rate of intergenerational crimes by enabling and implementing restorative justice practices. GNE-INDIA also works on advocacy to improve the conditions of the prisons as well as the rights of the prisoners. The goal of GNE-INDIA is that the prisons should function as rehabilitation centres and not as centres of punishment. GNE-INDIA’s motto is “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men”.
From counselling them to reuniting the families, Global Network for Equality-India is also helping the children of prisoners and victims live a better life. Taking a scientific approach, GNE-INDIA is trying to make significant improvements in the lives of these innocent kids and is giving them opportunities that are sorely missing in their present circumstances.
Mr. K.R. Raja has travelled to Nepal and volunteered with one of the prominent NGOs in Kathmandu which provides shelter to more than 400 children of prisoners run by Mrs. Indira Rana Magar. He has also visited Israel and Jerusalem to observe various childcare institutions as a special invitee by the Govt. of Israel. He had also visited Germany to attend an international conference on Media and Democracy conducted by the Global Media Forum organized by the prestigious Deutsche Welle (DW).
Mr. K R Raja has been an active member in the National Forum for Prison Reforms and is a proud recipient of CavinKare Ability Award for Eminence – 2016. He has been invited to present the ‘Best Intervention Model for the Children of Convicts’ before the officials of the Kerala Prison Department. Moreover, he has visited Jharkhand – Hotwar Central Prison.
As a Public Interest Litigant on Prison Reforms
Raja had filed many Public Interest Litigations on the subject of prison reforms such as:
I. To provide proper mental health care and services for the prisoners with psychiatric illness, The Hon’ble Madurai Bench of Madras High Court had directed the government to provide effective mental health care to the prison inmates in W.P. (MD) No. 16484 of 2020 dated 19.08.2021.
II. To stop the excessive deduction from the prisoners’ wage by proving it as unconstitutional. The Hon’ble Madurai Bench of Madras High Court in W.P (MD) No.14653 of 2017 dated 01.02.2019 observed that the deduction of 70% of wages of the Prisoners is unconstitutional and advised the government to deduct only reasonable wage as the rule laid down by the Hon’ble by the Supreme Court.
III. To eliminate the discriminative rules on women prisoners as they were not eligible for admission in the open-air prisons. The Hon’ble Madurai Bench of Madras High Court in W.P (MD) No.17946 of 2018 dated 10.09.2018 came down heavily on the discriminatory prison rule and directed to revisit the rules Nos.796 and 797 of the Tamil Nadu Prison Rules, 1983 discriminating men, women and third gender prisoners in terms of eligibility towards Open Air Prison. The Hon’ble Court had also held that the rules are against Articles 14, 16 and 21 of the Constitution of India as it is gender discrimination.
IV. To establish children friendly interview halls in the prisons. This matter is pending before the Hon’ble Madurai Bench of Madras High Court – W.P (MD) No. 12587 of 2016.
V. To reopen the After Care Home for the welfare of the abandoned prisoners which was closed arbitrarily by the Government in 18.10.2001 with a resolution stating the absence of any such neglected prisoners and thrown the lives of those reformed prisoners at risk of recidivism. In W.P.(MD) No. 15341 of 2017 dated 18.12.2019, Hon’ble Chief Justice of the Hon’ble Madurai Bench of Madras High Court has directed Mr. K R Raja to collect the details of neglected reformed prisoners. Mr. K.R. Raja had an opportunity to visit all the eight central prisons and five special prisons for women in the state of Tamil Nadu from 23.02.2020 to 19.03.2020. He has identified and interviewed the abandoned prisoners and noted their legitimate expectations on the aftercare services upon completing the terms and their release from the prison which enables their rehabilitation. Raja had submitted 245 pages detailed report titled “A Comprehensive Field Study on Abandoned Prisoners in the State of Tamil Nadu” to the Hon’ble Court. He interviewed 406 inmates out of 4173 lifers and long-term prisoners from 13 prisons across Tamil Nadu. Due to COVID-19 outbreak-related lockdown, he could not visit the Pudukkottai Borstal School. He identified 181 inmates abandoned by their family members. Out of these 181 inmates, 154 male and 27 female inmates are in dire need of aftercare homes for stay upon their release from the prisons because they do not have a place to go and stay in a family. He believes that the report will enable to revamp the Tamil Nadu Discharged Prisoners Aid Society to uphold its objectives by implementing its welfare schemes for the discharged prisoners and also reopen After Care Home.
VI. To release decrepit/aged prisoners under the premature release programs and by constituting Advisory Board to place the cases of aged and sick prisoners who are incapable of doing any real work and would appear to be unable to commit or organize crime if sent on parole shall also be placed before the Advisory Board for considering their case for premature release. The Hon’ble Court issued direction to frame appropriate guidelines, in the light of the directions issued by the Hon’ble Supreme Court dated 08.09.2016 in Crl.A.No.865 of 2016 within a period of four months.
VII. To enable effective implementation of the Probation of Offenders Act, he had challenged the surrender of 32 Probation Officers by a Government order which will be an impediment on monitoring the first-time offenders and their probation, rehabilitation, providing assistance to the crime victims, verifying the cases of emergency and ordinary leave for the convict prisoners. The Writ Petition in WP (MD) No.19745 of 2018 is pending before the Hon’ble Court.
VIII. To enhance the quantum of victim compensation fund as equivalent increase of prisoners wage and fix the time line for each steps on processing the fund to all those deserving victims, he had filed W.P. (MD) No.14224 of 2019 dated 25.06.2019 wherein the Hon’ble Court observed that there is a corresponding increase in wages payable to the prisoners in 2011 and 2017, there is no corresponding increase to the funds made available to the Victim Compensation Scheme and that apart, wide publicity has not been made and as a result, the victims of the crimes are not able to avail such a benevolence extended to them.
IX. To distribute Victim Compensation to 49 deserving Crime Victims belongs to 21 families who lost their loved ones by domestic dispute related crime. The Hon’ble Court had directed the government to take necessary steps for speedy disbursement in W.P.(MD) No.2801 of 2021 dated 15.02.2021.
X. To fill the existing vacancies of 24 Addl. Superintendent of Prison and Social Workers in all the Central Prison, Special Prisons for Women and in the Pudukottai Borstal School of Tamil Nadu he filed W.P. (MD) No.6852 of 2021 dated 20.07.2021 wherein the Hon’ble High Court directed the government to take a pragmatic decision at the earliest to fill all the vacant post by highlighting the duties and responsibilities of all such officials in the correctional services.
Some of other important matters pending before the Hon’ble Court – A request to install KIOSK Machine and Computers with internet connections for legal aid prison visiting duty counsels in W.P. (MD) No.7507 of 2021 and implement the G.O (Ms) No.1211 and its rule for the grant of financial assistance to the lifers and long termers at the time of release so as to realize the correctional theories by reducing the re-offending rate in the country.
