The Supreme Court on Thursday directed all the states and Union Territories, which have not set up State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), to constitute the same in three months from Thursday.
A Bench comprising Justice S S Nijjar and Justice M Y Eqbal said, “We are not granting any more time.”
Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaising told the Bench that it is the mandatory duty of these commissions to monitor the implementation of the Right to Education Act, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and other such Acts.
She informed the court that 15 states had constituted the panel whereas 19 failed to do so.
When counsel for Andhra Pradesh D Mahesh Babu said that the SCPCR was constituted in April 2012, Justice Nijjar noted that the Andhra Pradesh panel existed only on paper as no rules and regulations had been framed to ensure its implementation.
Counsel for Puducherry told the Bench that it could constitute the panel only with the MHA approval and the Bench directed the Home Ministry to consider the
proposal of Puducherry and grant necessary approval in four weeks.
Standing counsel for Kerala Bina Madhavan told the Bench that steps had been taken for constituting the commission and an advertisement had already been issued.
The Bench directed Puducherry and Kerala to constitute the commission in three months.