CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has granted three-month time for the state government to complete the process of appointment of chairperson and members to the state commission for protection of child rights (SCPCR).
A division bench of justices SM Subramaniam and K Rajasekar on Monday, while hearing a suo motu case, expressed concern over the long delay in appointing the chairperson and the members to the commission.
Raising several questions to the respondent officials, the bench said SCPCR should be functioning in full force in order to ensure that the rights of children are protected at a time when the offences against children are on the rise.
When secretary of the Social Welfare and Women Empowerment department Jayashree Muralidharan, who appeared for the hearing through video conference, sought three months for completing the selection and appointment process, the bench, accordingly, granted the time.
The secretary informed the court the delay was caused due to the litigations pending in the court.
She said applications have been invited from qualified persons and March 20 has been fixed as the deadline for submitting the applications. After that, a committee, headed by the department’s minister, would scrutinise and shortlist potential candidates, she said.
The bench adjourned the case to June 20. The case was initiated in 2018 to ensure the state government implements the orders of the Supreme Court in Sampurna Behura Vs Union of India case regarding implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.