Raipur, Nov 9 (PTI) The third edition of the short film festival on legal awareness organised by Chhattisgarh State Legal Services Authority (CGSLSA) began on Tuesday at Pt Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium in state capital Raipur.

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Chief Justice of India N V Ramana, who is also patron-in-chief of National Legal Service Authority (NALSA), virtually inaugurated the four-day fest during a function to mark Legal Services Day in Noida in Uttar Pradesh.

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Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, Supreme Court judge and Executive Chairman of NALSA, were also present at the event in Noida.

Briefing about the short film festival ahead of its inauguration, Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court Arup Kumar Goswami, who was virtually linked from the HC premises in Bilapsur, said such fests will help in communicating and sensitizing the people on various issues, including human trafficking and child rights.

“It is a red letter day for CGSLSA and High Court of Chhattisgarh because the inaugural session is being blessed by honourable CJI, Union Law Minister and senior most judge of Supreme Court of India,” Justice Goswami said.

The idea to organise a film festival and contest as an innovative tool to spread legal awareness was conceptualized in 2016 by Chhattisgarh HC, and it has the unique distinction of organising India's first short film contest and festival for the aforesaid purpose, he said.

“Encouraged by the resounding success, we had organized the second season (of the fest) in 2018 and this year, we planned the film festival under the banner of 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' during the pan India awareness and outreach programme of NALSA," he added.

“We had received 373 entries on the subjects of human trafficking, child rights with particular reference to child labour prohibition and right to education, drug addiction and rehabilitation of victims and aspects of cyber crime for the fest. We do hope through this film festival we will be able to successfully communicate and sensitize the people on various issues on the above subjects,” he said.

Meanwhile the CJI also released a booklet titled 'Umang-Rise with hope', which is meant to train paralegal volunteers on implementing mental health group work sessions with children in the 6-12 and 13-18 age groups, officials said.

The short film festival season 3 –'Shoot for Legal Awareness 2021' is being held by CGLSA under the aegis of NALSA, in technical collaboration with GPR strategies and solutions with logistic support from district legal services authority Raipur, said Sidharth Agarwal, Member Secretary, SLSA Chhattisgarh.

After the inaugural session, nine short and super short movies were screened and a cultural programme, comprising Bharat Natyam dance on the NALSA theme song, was performed by law students at the auditorium here, he added.

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