BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Thursday laid down the guidelines for Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) on how to hold an inquiry and conduct counselling in cases where the parents or guardians surrender their children, unable to look after them for various reasons, as per the Juveline Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.
A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice NS Sanjay Gowda laid down the guidelines, as the state has failed to frame the rules, while hearing the public interest litigation filed by city-based Letzkit Foundation, that had brought the court’s attention to the media reports of a two-week old baby abandoned by a young couple, who were in a live-in relationship in Mysuru. They had left the baby at the house of their friend.
After the incident, the court tried to convince the parents to take care of the baby but they refused and hence the NGO and the CWC are now taking care of him. In view of this incident, the court laid the guidelines which will be in force in the absence of rules which have to be framed under Section 35 of the Juvenile Justice Act, within three months by the state government as per the order of the court.
The court also directed the CWCs to ensure that unscrupulous agencies should not take the benefit of such situation by illegally adopting such children.
Check factors for surrender
As per the guidelines issued by the court, the CWCs should conduct proper identification of children, meet parents individually, ascertain whether they are biological parents, factors forced to surrender child, and ensure surrender is not aimed to benefit adopting agencies, among others.