KOCHI: Bachpan Bachao Andolan, an NGO founded by Nobel Peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi, on Monday approached the Kerala High Court seeking to frame guidelines for the implementation of the provisions in Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
The petitioner pointed out that the Supreme Court had issued several guidelines including the directive to the High Court to seriously consider establishing child-friendly courts and vulnerable witness courts in each district. The SC had issued the order on the Public Interest Litigation filed by human right activist Sampurna Behura, director of the NGO, citing the failure of the governments in implementing provisions in JJ Act.
Counsel for the petitioner, Deepu Thankan said that even one year after the Supreme Court judgment, the directives have not been complied with. The petitioner pointed out that the instances of abuse in childcare institutions subsist only due to the apathy of the officials who have failed to perform their duties.
The petition stated that the RTI reply received from Women and Child Development Department of Kerala revealed that 1773 cases were pending in Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) and 420 cases were pending in Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in the year 2018. The number of cases pending in the state depicts that these many children have not been rehabilitated even after a year of the Supreme Court judgment.