Introduction
- Legal Fraternity Conference at Dharamsala.
The importance of forming an association of Tibetan legal practitioner was promulgated by His Holiness and Dalai Lama in 2009. Tibetan Legal Association (TLA) was formally formed with forty –one participants of Tibetans lawyers and law students during the conference of members of the Tibetan Legal Fraternity organized by Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission on 28 June 2013. Five executive members of the association were elected and its aims and objectives were formulated in the said conference.
One of the primary aims of the association is to provide free legal assistance to the poor and needy Tibetans and local Indians. It will also employ legal measures in its efforts to seek the international community’s support on the issue of Tibet. His Holiness was very pleased about the establishment of the legal association and In his hour-long address, His Holiness the Dalai Lama emphasized the importance and the responsibility of the newly-formed Tibetan Legal Association to provide legal assistance to poor and needy Tibetans and local Indians.
- Registration of TLA: The Tibetan Legal Association was registered on 23rd July 2014 at Bangalore. Since its registration on 23rd July 2014 at Bangalore with the memorandum of Association drafted during the Legal Fraternity conference on 28-30 June 2013, has carried on few activities as per its objectives which were duly informed to the members from time to time.
- First Activity: Legal Awareness Program at Bangalore
TLA’s 
First Legal Awareness Program was conducted in collaboration with the Tibetan Youth for Tibetan Students at Tibetan Youth Hostel Bangalore by inviting a Guest Speaker on the topic. “An Empowered Citizens” by (Dr.) VS Elizabeth , Professor of National Law School of India University, at Youth Hostel, Bengaluru on 24th November 2014.
4.Legal Awareness Program at Mundgod, Karnataka State by Secretary of TLA.
The TLA Secretary Mr. Lobsang Dakpa conducted legal awareness program at Mundgod on 12.12.2014 to approximately 60 Tibetan Monks and Tibetan students.
5.Legal Awareness in Tibetan Newspapers 22.10.2014
The article of the Tibetan Charter was published periodically in the name of TLA through Tibetan newspaper called Bangchen. The publication was made on 22.10.2014, 31.12.2014 and 21.1.2015.
- Legal Awareness to Taiwanese at Dharamsala:
Legal Awareness Program was conducted by TLA at Dharamsala to nine Taiwenese by TLA President Mr. Lobsang Dakpa on 19th July 2015. He spoke on the Tibetan situation in India, with reference to legal status and TLA’s objectives.
7.Collaboration with Tibet Justice Centre
TLA in collaboration with TJC has conducted an interactive legal meeting at Hotel Tibet, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala in October of 2015 and has participated and assisted in their research work regarding the status of Tibetans in exile.
(Picture : Eileen & Iona of Tibet Justice Centre with TLA members and legal luminaries, In October 2015)
The research report is being published by TJC and TLA name is being credited as below .Tibet’s Stateless Nationals II 2016: The Status of Tibetan Refugee in India, A report by Tibet Justice Center, with the support of Tibetan Legal Association, and Boston University School of Law’s International Human Rights Clini available at – ttp://www.tibetjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/TJCIndiaReport2016.pdf
7.Opening of TLA office at Dharasmala:
As resolved during the legal fraternity conference on 29 June 2013 and followed by the Resolution of the Board dated 31.7.2015, TLA’s working office started on 1st March 2016 at Dharamsala at Ratoe Labrang, near Men- Tse Khang, Potala Road, Dharamsala with the Rent sponsered by Tso- Pema Non Profit. The first working members being Namgyal Tsekey,(LL.M) Lobsang Dakpa(LL.M) and Kunsang Topden(Ll.B) followed by Dickyi Peldon(LL.B) recently graduated from JSS Law college, Mysore
Picture: (Ms. Namgyal Tsekey, TLA standing lawyer and Board Member, on the first working day of TLA at Dharasmala, greeted by fellow lawyer Ms Rigzin Wangmo, legal staff at TSJC, Dharasmala ) (1.3.2016)
9 Free Legal Services rendered since the opening of office at Dharamsala:
With the opening of the office of the Tibetan Legal Association at Dharamsala since 1st March 2016, as many as 100 numbers of people were served. These services include giving legal opinions & advice, drafting of affidavits and pleadings of the cases, problems related to Identity Certificate (IC), Registration Certificate (RC) and Passport, appearance before the Police Station, Judicial Magistrates, representation before the Tibetan authorities like Justice Commission, Settlement Officers, making documents- affidavits, drafting of the cases, assisting in the visa process /immigration documentation & translations, Identity Certificate (IC), 
and matters like change of name and date of birth in RC, registration of marriage and divorces, registration of shops, Application for registration of Trademarks, representation before the Judicial Magistrate in criminal cases, outstation cases before the Juvenile Justice Board for the violation of Foreigners Act etc All these services are rendered free of cost thus far.
Apart from cases, TLA gives legal awareness through its website www.tibetanlegalassociation.org and through Facebook and social media in both English and Tibetan language.
TLA Lawyers announcing the dismissal of the case by reading out the order passed by the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission in a election dispute on 17th May 2016.
10. Conference Organized by TLA with Tibetan Centre for Human Rights at Dharamsala:
In collaboration with Tibetan Centre for Human Rights & Democracy, Students for a Free Tibet, and the Tibetan Chinese Pen Association, TLA organized the 11th Interethnic/Interfaith Leadership Conference, titled “Strengthening Our Alliance to Advance the People’s Dream, Freedom, Justice, Equity and Peace”, at Dharamsala from 28 April to 1st May 2016. TLA members have had the privilege to meet many scholars and legal professionals, the Harvard Law School visiting scholar, human rights activist, and lawyer Dr. Teng Biao, the president of Citizen Power Dr.Yang Jianli, Miss World Canada Anastasia Lin, and many others during the conference .
- Membership with APPRN . The TLA is a privileged member of the Asian Pacific Refugee Rights Network since 30th March 2016 . There are only two Tibetan offices which have been admitted to the membership of this body (Health Department of CTA and the TLA
12) Legal Survey at the various Tibetan Settlements in the South India:
(22nd July-2nd Aug 2016)
TLA conducted Survey of the legal challenges in Tibetan community by interviewing the Settlement officers, managers of the Co-operative Society, Monasteries, and general public to elicit the legal problems in the Tibetan Society. The President of TLA, Mr. Lobsang Dakpa, along with Ms. Namgyal Tsekey and Mr. Kunsang Topden were the team members and interviews were recorded by TLA.
One of the main problems in the Tibetan community are the lack of legal knowledge, lack of Tibetan lawyers, lack of basic understanding of laws of India, especially criminal laws, law of income tax; banking law; traffic rules etc; and some particular problems of Foreigners Registration certificate (RC); Identity Certificate (IC) and of interpretation and application of Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy, 2014. The detailed Report was submitted to Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission, Tibetan Parliament, and Tibetan Kashag Secretariat of the Central Tibetan Administration on 31st August 2016. In its Report, TLA proposed to the CTA to establish a standing Tibetan lawyer at each settlement in the south to advise and assist the settlement office and the general public and to make a provision to nominate a Justice Commissioner with the law background in order to inculcate a faith in the judiciary by the general public.
- Capacity Building Conference cum 1st Annual General Body Meeting of TLA (30th- 31st July 2016
The first Conference since the registration of TLA on 23 July 2014 was held at Mysore as most of the members of TLA are at Mysore and Bangalore. The two day Conference was held at Hotel Quorum , Mysore, as a part of capacity building project by SOIR-IM Rajpur, Dehradun. The members of TLA from Supreme Court, highly experienced lawyer from Darjeeling, law students and law graduates from Mysore and Bangalore with total 29 members participated in the conference. - The Conference dealt with many issues as detailed in the Agenda, introducing and reiterating the aims and objectives of the TLA, planning strategies, and evaluating the management & the role of Board, electing new Board Members .
Picture: Group Photo of Member of TLA during AGM at Mysore (31.7. 2016)
(Election process of the AGM on 31.7.2016 at Mysore )
Additionally, New members were recruited and trained. Additionally, two regional chapters of TLA were established, one in Mysore and one in Bangalore. The Regional Chapter consist of lawyers and law students in Mysore and Bangalore.
Picture: ( Advocate Tsering Ngodup congratulating New Secretary Kunsang Topden) (31.7.2016)
The objective of the
Regional chapter is to make TLA available for reach locally . The chapter will maintain a close and regular association with professional colleagues in the same city or area. The local chapter shall hold periodic conferences- symposiums, and provide a combination of social interaction, professional dialogue, legal aid, and other services at a regional level. Bylakuppe is one of the biggest Tibetan settlements in India. The Tibetan refugees are in need of legal aid and assistance. There are no Tibetan lawyers available for legal advice in those areas at present. Therefore, establishing a regional chapter will help the Tibetans located in Bylakuppe and Bangalore.
(Advocate Tsering Ngodup congratulating Mr. Tenzin Yonten,(Law Student) newly elected President of Regional Chapter Mysore)
Training with regard to the management, accounts, and administration of Regional Chapter was also given. The executive members of the Regional Chapters were given Rs five thousand as seed money.
The legal debate/discussion session held by Advocate Tsering Ngodup (District Court lawyer) and Advocate Tenzin Tsering (Supreme Court lawyer) which has empowered the members of the Regional Chapter.
Picture (Mr. Tenzin Tsering, imparting legal empowerment talk to the new members of the TLA 31.7.2016)
(Newly elected Board Members of TLA and Regional Chapter. (31.7.2016 ) Mysore and Bangalore)
14) Felicitation to the Principle of the J.S.S Law College, Mysore (1st August 2016).
During the Orientation program at JSS Law College, Mr Lobsang Dakpa presented a Memento of appreciation on behalf of Tibetan legal Association. The Principle Mr K.S. Suresh said in his speech that he had audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama who asked him to give admission to all the Tibetans students coming to his college for admission and since then Principle of JSS Law College never turned a single Tibetan students so far. Tibetans students are very grateful to the JSS Law college for its beneficial treatment to the Tibetans students .
(Lobsang Dakpa presenting Momento to the Principle of JSS Law College, Mr. K.S. Suresh and giving a speech .) (1.8.2016)
- TLA’s Legal Awareness Program at TCV Schools at around Dharamsala
Beside our regular works on providing legal aid on pro-bono basis to indigent and Tibetans in exile, and endeavor to provide legal services to underprivileged Indians requiring legal protection, the TLA aims to promote legal awareness within Tibetan Diaspora in India. More than 40 percent of the Tibetans in India are children, and educating the young minds with basic ideas on law is crucial. TLA has visited five different Tibetan schools in Dharamsala to educate them on basic legal knowledge necessary in their everyday life. Every year there is an increasing number of legal cases in Tibetan exile community. In 2014, Tibet Justice Center illustrated a number of legal issues faced by Tibetan in exile related to Registration Certificate and other official documents, land, deportation, citizenship, voting etc. Lack of legal awareness on relevant laws and basic understanding of democracy is also one of the major issues facing Tibetans in Tibet as well. Legal awareness program was organized at various TCV Schools in Dharamsala from 17th to 23rd August 2016 and TCV Bylakuppe on 2nd August 2016.
TLA legal Awareness at SOS TCV Bylakuppe ( 2.8.2016) Mr. Tsering Ngodup, Member of TLA Board, an advocate with more than 35 years of experience at District Court at Darjeeling sharing basic legal knowledge to the students at SOS TCV Bylakuppe .
TLA had the following objectives behind conducting this legal awareness program:
- To inform the school children, teachers and the staff of the basic legal procedures and how to deal with legal problems in daily life and laws relevant to children.
- To inform them about the importance of keeping correct Date of Birth and name spell in various documents and how to rectify the mistakes in time in accordance with the law.
TlA lawyers covered various topics of law related to day to day life such as FIR, Affidavit, procedure of RTI, crimes and offences along with the examples of the recent cases handled by TLA and importance of law.
Legal awareness program at nunneries in Dharamsala
Tibetan society has the feeling that sexual violence is a shame and disgrace to the community and the individual. Therefore, it is either hidden or compromised, which is wrong and sans legal permissibly as ordered by the Supreme Court of India.
Nuns are not aware of the crimes against women that happen in day to day life in the Indian Society. Many women are not aware of laws on violence against women, of their legal rights or how to assert and exercise these rights.
With this background, the Tibetan Legal Association conducted two hours legal awareness program a four Tibetan Nunneries around Dharamsala. We had the following objectives behind conducting this legal awareness program:
- To educate the nuns about crimes against women, women’s safety and how to protect oneself.
- To convince them the importance of personal documents such as Registration Certificate (RC) and Identity Certificate (IC) with actual illustrations handled by TLA.
TLA lawyers spoke on issues like crimes against women with example of cases in both Tibetan society and Indian society, women’s rights under Indian Constitution and Fundamental Rights available to Tibetans as foreigners, laws relating to the Registration of Foreigners and Identity certificate, Affidavits and FIR along with example of cases handled by TLA so far.The TLA has successfully educated almost 300 nuns and staff from four different nunneries over the subjects relevant to their day to day life, including the recent demonetization policy of Indian government.
(Ms. Yama Choezom speaking on Rights of Women at Nunneries )
(Ms Dickey Peldon speaking on Crime against Women.)