The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi government to establish three new juvenile justice boards (JJBs) in the city, as proposed by authorities, within two years.
In an order on Tuesday, the court said the Women and Child Development Department filed a status report last month stating that the government plans to establish a JJB in every district and is in the process of setting up three JJBs at Dwarka, Sewa Kutir and Alipur.
A Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad asked the government to set up these three facilities “within two years from today”.
The order pertains to a suo motu petition by the court, following an incident of vandalism in 2013 in a juvenile detention centre at north Delhi’s Majnu Ka Tila.
When members of the court’s Juvenile Justice Committee visited the Majnu ka Tila complex after the incident, it was reported that the inmates lit a fire inside the home by burning blankets and a couple of cars parked outside were also damaged.
The committee’s report indicated that the inmates accused the administration of treating them badly and not giving them food on time. The panel was of the view that the matter be placed before the High Court for appropriate directions to inquire into the incident and had also suggested remedial measures, after which several orders were passed from time to time.
At present, the city has 11 child welfare committees, six JJBs and 21 government-operated child-care institutions.
Published - July 06, 2023 01:38 am IST
