Large number of vacancies in juvenile institutions having debilitating effect: SC judge

New Delhi: Supreme Court judge S Ravindra Bhat on Saturday expressed concern over every institution in the juvenile justice system working “below” its strength, saying such a large number of vacancies have a debilitating effect which could turn these bodies into “paper tigers” on matters of child protection.

The apex court judge, who heads the Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare, placed the issue “at the centre stage” during the inaugural session of its two-day national consultation and cautioned against “breakdown of the system” if the institutions become non-functional due to shortage of staff and officials.

The national consultation is being organised by the Committee on September 23 and 24 on best practices followed in states and to further strengthen the justice system for children in conflict with law.

The event was attended by Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani, Supreme Court judge B V Nagarathna and other dignitaries including Cynthia McCaffrey, Representative of UNICEF India. “Every institution — whether juvenile justice boards or child welfare committees or other such institutions — are running below their strength in the sense that most of them have a large number of vacancies.

“These vacancies are actually very debilitating and they paralyse the system. Without the full strength of the child welfare committee or the appropriate available quorum, the committees is unable to function,” said Justice Bhat in his keynote speech.

“Unless we establish and come out with a common protocol which makes it binding upon all the states, these institutions will become just paper tigers. They will be meaningless if you have to provide for the protection of children,” the apex court judge stated. Justice Bhat said that the approach should be that a child delinquent can be reformed and therefore reformation must be the primary driver of all decisions taken for them.