G S Jaiswal provided free legal help to poor and hapless, launched intense campaign against ‘witch-hunt’
Jamshedpur: Renowned senior lawyer and social activist Girija Shankar Jaiswal is no more. He breathed his last on Tuesday.
According to information received, he was having breathing difficulties and was admitted in hospital. In the evening, his family was informed that the level of oxygen in his body was going down. He was also found corona positive.
According to the family members they were asked to take him elsewhere as ventilator was not available in the hospital.
The family took him to a Covid-19 treatment/quarantine centre in the eastern part of the city.
Despite efforts from the family, he was not admitted for a long time and reportedly died outside the Covid-19 treatment centre.
Known for having founded Free Legal Aid Committee (FLAC) in Jamshedpur and having provided free legal aid to hundreds of poor people of the city, Mr. Jaiswal had acquired a reputation for working for poor and hapless in the city.
His sudden demise has shocked his acquaintances and people who know him. He was not only popular among the masses, but everyone respected him for the social work he has done and the contribution he has made for helping the poor.
His associate in FLAC and social activist, Premchand, expressed deep grief over his demise. In his comment he wrote: “24 August, 2020 would remain the saddest day for me. It snatched from me a person who worked gloriously for 42 years in the area of social work. In 1978 FLAC was founded, Lok Adalatas were founded in 88 and campaign against witch-hunt started in 1992 under his leadership. He was an institution. In 1982, Justice P N Bhagwati and Justice Ranganath Mishra were present in FLAC’s programme.”
Well-known social activist and lawyer Ravindra Nath Choubey, in his message said: “It is unbelievable that the person who made law accessible for everyone is no more. His biggest contribution was to get poor people freed from jails by providing them free legal aid. He also worked a lot in fighting against witch-hunt in the state. He was the person who had prepared the draft of the law framed to curb witch-hunt.”
His son lives in Singapore. Daughter is a practicing lawyer in Mumbai.
Antim Sanskar would be done once his son arrives from Singapore.
