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The Supreme Court will host a two-day national consultation this weekend to assess the implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, over the past decade and identify priorities for strengthening child protection and juvenile justice mechanisms in the coming years.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant will inaugurate the consultation on October 10, organised by the Supreme Courts Juvenile Justice Committee in association with UNICEF India. The consultation, titled Ten Years of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015: Progress, Challenges and Priorities for the Next Decade, will bring together Supreme Court and High Court judges, senior government officials and child protection experts to review the laws implementation and deliberate on gaps in the existing system. Justice BV Nagarathna, Supreme Court judge and chairperson of the Juvenile Justice Committee, will deliver the opening remarks, followed by introductory remarks from UNICEF India Country Representative Cynthia McCaffrey. A key highlight of the inaugural session will be the release of a compendium of landmark Supreme Court and High Court judgments concerning the Juvenile Justice Act. The compilation will cover decisions delivered between 2015 and September 2026. The discussions will address a range of issues, including the rights of children in conflict with the law, preliminary assessments conducted by Juvenile Justice Boards in cases involving heinous offences, adoption procedures, institutional care and the rehabilitation of vulnerable children. Dedicated technical sessions will examine the implementation of the Act across States and Union Territories, with representatives from Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Delhi, Gujarat, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal scheduled to share their experiences and best practices. The deliberations will also focus on improving coordination among institutions, strengthening child-friendly justice mechanisms and ensuring the effective rehabilitation and reintegration of children. The consultation will conclude on October 11 with special remarks by UNICEF India Chief of Child Protection Milen Kidane and a special address by Anil Malik, Secretary, Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. Justice JB Pardiwala, Supreme Court judge and member of the Juvenile Justice Committee, will deliver the closing remarks. The consultation is expected to inform priorities for the next decade, with a focus on strengthening institutional accountability and ensuring that children receive appropriate care, protection and access to justice. (ANI)
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