NEW DELHI: In light of the recent death of an abandoned girl child in Jaipur’s JK Loan Hospital, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has sought information about the adoption procedures from Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
The girl was found abandoned on a mound of garbage in Nagaur city of Rajasthan. Journalist couple Vinod Kapri and Sakshi Joshi decided to adopt a girl child after they spotted the baby in a viral video where she was lying on a heap of garbage.
They reached out to help her and initiated the adoption process. Despite completing all legal formalities, the couple was put on waiting while the child’s health condition deteriorated. She was then transferred from Nagaur to Jodhpur hospital and finally to JK Loan Hospital in Jaipur where her condition was stated to be critical.
The prospective adoptive couple informed the Commission that due to lack of access to proper healthcare and personalised attention stemming from the delay in adoption procedure, the child succumbed to her illness on June 8 in the hospital.
According to the notice issued by DCW to CARA, Swati Maliwal, chairperson of the commission said, “The Commission is extremely perturbed with the incident.
While we believe that adequate checks and balances must be there for ensuring safety and well-being of a child during and after the adoption, however, unnecessary procedural delays in adoption should be avoided especially at times when the child is in urgent need of a loving and caring environment.”
Moreover, considering the gravity and importance of the aforesaid case, Maliwal has asked CARA to provide the reason of procedural delay in adoption in the case.
In a list of nine queries, the Commission asked whether any of the CARA or state health department official visited the child during her time in the hospital and to enclose visitation reports for the same.
It also asked for monitoring reports on the condition of the child if she was monitored regularly. Apart from this, the letter also inquired about the total number of children that are currently up for adoption and the number of children that are declared ‘legally free’ for adoption as of now.
Information regarding adoption committees and steps taken by CARA in adoption cases was also sought by July 28 in the letter addressed to CARA’s member secretary and CEO.