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HC seeks response from authorities on long waiting period for adoption
Over 35,000 parents are registered to adopt
2 min read
Bombay High Court approved the demolition of 17 unauthorised structures/buildings in Thane(File Photo)THE BOMBAY High Court on Monday sought a response from the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) on the long waiting period for prospective parents who are seeking to adopt children in the country.
The court took suo motu cognisance of a news report which said that the average waiting period for parents looking to adopt a child in the 0-2 years age group is now three-and-a-half years.
The division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice M S Karnik said that taking note of a news report and a letter addressed to the court, which highlighted grievances of prospective parents awaiting their turn to adopt, it was issuing notices to the Union of India, CARA, the nodal body for adoption in India, which comes under the Ministry of Women and Child Development and others relevant to the issue.
The bench also appointed an amicus curiae, senior advocate Milind Sathe, to assist in the matter. The court will hear the case on June 23.
Under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, citizens intending to adopt a child, have to register with CARA through its online application system. The Act establishes links between specialised adoption agencies and child care institutions like orphanages.
After registration on the CARA portal, a home study is conducted to verify the suitability of the prospective parents, after which they are put on a waiting list to match with a child.
The CARA dashboard on Monday states that there are 35,704 prospective parents registered, with 2,440 children available for adoption, 1,534 of them children with “special needs”.
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Prospective parents have been raising issues of delays in the process. The Supreme Court, too, had recently raised concerns on the waiting time for adoption and had also pulled up authorities for failure to set up specialised adoption agencies in all districts.
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