NEW DELHI: For the first time in two and a half years, Delhi is finally moving toward appointing a full-time chief for the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR), an institution that has remained headless despite its crucial mandate.
A list of around 20 candidates, including at least three retired IAS officers, is now before the screening committee, with interviews expected to begin soon, a source confirmed.
The revival of the selection process comes only after sustained pressure from the Delhi High Court. In October, the Delhi government had appointed Rashmi Singh, secretary of
the Women and Child Development (WCD) Department, as the officiating chairperson, which was an interim step that underscored how the regular appointment process had remained stuck for more than two years.
The post has been vacant since July 2023, when former chairperson Anurag Kundu completed his term and moved to the Punjab government.
A source said that he (Anurag Kundu) could have continued with a second term since he was young, but LG had said no to it. As per the Child Rights Act, a chairperson’s term is a maximum of three years, and he can continue for the second term until he attains an age of 65.
A similar situation had happened between 2015 and 2017 when there was a change in government. The commission had no chairman for one and a half years, and the chairman was appointed in 2017 after the High Court’s directions.
A former official associated with the commission revealed that over 30 applications were received during the initial recruitment drive launched during former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s tenure, but the process hit a dead end when the shortlisting committee became non-functional following the transfer of a key member.
Even after the new advertisements were issued in December 2024 for the DCPCR and WCD chairpersons, no movement was seen until the high court stepped in.
During a period when Delhi has confronted rising cases of child abuse, school safety violations, trafficking concerns, and welfare lapses, the absence of a regular chairperson apparently weakened institutional accountability.
The DCPCR, created under the CPCR Act, 2005, is mandated to monitor implementation of child rights laws, review safeguards, probe violations, and advise the government on reforms. Its six members, mapped to key departments, rely on strong leadership for coordinated action.
With the selection process finally moving, Delhi may soon restore the leadership of a commission meant to protect its most vulnerable.
The first DCPCR chairperson was IPS officer Amod Kanth, followed by IAS officers Arun Mathur and Ramesh Negi. The only non-bureaucrat to head the body was Anurag Kundu, whose term got over in July 2023.
According to sources, this administrative experience matters. “It is better to have an IAS or IPS officer in this position because they know how to handle the system,” a senior official noted.
‘Administrative experience matters to handle system’
The first DCPCR chairperson was IPS officer Amod Kanth, followed by IAS officers Arun Mathur and Ramesh Negi. The only non-bureaucrat to head the body was Anurag Kundu. Sources said, administrative experience matters. “It is better to have an IAS or IPS officer in this position because they know how to handle the system,” a official said.