HC appoints committee to oversee Arya Orphanage

“The Delhi government would inform the court whether it can nominate an administrator who works full-time at the Arya Anathalaya and not a disinterested person who visits the Anathalaya on part-time basis and that too with a lackadaisical approach,” said the bench headed by Justice Pradeep Nandarajog,noting that the present administrator was tied up with MCD election duties.

Bans Raj,the current administrator,was to inquire into the functioning of Arya Orphanage,from where alleged cases of sexual abuse of children have been reported.

The bench had taken the matter up as a PIL after Haq Centre for Child Rights had sought the court’s intervention in ensuring safety and well being of the children.

The bench appointed a three-member committee,headed by Judicial Officer Santosh Snehi Mann,to visit the complex and report if the court should pass any urgent directives.

“The impasse created by an administrator,who is overloaded with work and has not much time to administer the functioning of the Anathalaya,requires this court to constitute a committee to administer the Anathalaya for a limited duration,with further course of action to be chartered depending upon the report submitted by the committee,” said the bench.

Adding that the court was not removing the administrator,the court asked him to “act in conjunction” with the committee,which will visit Arya Orphanage every day and spend at least three hours interacting with children.

The bench further asked the committee,also comprising Kiran Jyoti and Afsar Ahmad Khan,to consider the 13 suggestions given on the last date of hearing by Anant K Asthana,Haq’s counsel.

It also and directed the Orphanage officials to assist the committee members in implementing the measures.

“Should the committee decide that any staff member at Arya Anathalaya,be it in the Arya Bal Griha or Arya Kanya Sadan,requires to be shifted from the Anathalaya,the office-bearers of the three societies concerned would ensure that the said persons are transferred to Chhatravas Chandra Arya Vidya Mandir or any other institute established by a society with which or with whom there is interaction by Arya Anathalaya,” said the court.

It has now fixed the matter for April 20 for taking on record the committee’s report.

The court had earlier found severe flaws with the government’s Commission of Inquiry,compelling it to issue another notification in this regard. The court had then pulled up the Chief Minister and the Lieutenant-Governor for not following procedure and hurriedly issuing the notification.