NEW DELHI: The Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) has recommended immediate termination or disposal of proceedings, which have been continuing for more than six months, in cases against the children involved in petty offences.
The child rights watchdog in Delhi, which has powers to monitor all matters related to legal and constitutional rights of children, has questioned the long periods taken to inquire cases involving ‘children in conflict with law’, as such long time lines are against the rules prescribed in the Juveni le Just ice Act, 2015.
After conducting an inquiry into the pendency levels of cases at various Juvenile Justice Boards across the national capital, the DCPCR found that there were 367 cases in which inquiry has been going on for more than six months and 953 instances in which cases are pending for more than 12 months.
Sending its recommendations to the Delhi government, the child rights body argued the “stigma faced by the children and the tag of a ‘criminal’ when the proceedings are being pursued by the Juvenile Justice Boards not only adversely affects their mental health but also deny them familial love while being kept at an institution”.
Chairperson of DCPCR, Anurag Kundu also stated in the recommendations that as per the rules stated in Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, for inquiry by the Board regarding ‘child in conflict with law’, “…inquiries have to be completed within a period of four months from the date of first production of the child in front of the Board, unless the period is extended by the Board, for a maximum of two months.”
Keeping in mind the rehabilitative needs and statutory rights of children, “terminate immediately al l the proceedings involving petty offences that have completed six months and pass final disposal order keeping in mind the rehabilitative need of the children,” the DCPCR recommendation to the state government says.
The DCPCR took the opinions of legal experts like retired judge of the Supreme Court Madan Lokur and social groups working in the field of child rights before arriving at these suggestions.