Kerala High Court issues 15 directions to improve juvenile justice system in state

3) To complete and publish the remaining process of the annual report for 2024-2025, as mandated under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005 (CPCR Act) within eight weeks;

4) To prepare and publish the annual reports in the future by the end of June every year, and special report at any time on any matter which, in its opinion, is of such urgency or importance. The court also directed to issue necessary guidelines to the concerned departments and agencies to implement a framework regarding the publishing of annual reports, within four weeks.

5)To prepare comprehensive multi-stakeholder Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) or such guidelines for conducting inspections of all Child Care Institutions (CCIs) every year to create an effective monitoring mechanism.

6) To complete the remaining process of reconstitution of Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) and Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) within eight weeks.

7) CWCs to meet at least 21 days a month, as mandated under Section 28 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

8) To initiate the process of filling up anticipated vacancies in JJBs and CWCs at least four months in advance to ensure that the posts do not remain vacant and to issue necessary instructions to implement a framework to fill up vacancies in time, within four weeks.

9) To commence the process of filling up anticipated vacancies in the posts of Probationary Officers (POs) at least four months in advance to curb the issue of non-functioning of the system due to non-availability of the staff.

10) To prepare and finalise a draft protocol for information and rehabilitation of the children within three months.

11) To make available the data regarding the missing and rescued children identified in the State on the National Mission Vatsalya Portal, within three months.

12) To ensure issuance of directions to constitute the Special Juvenile Police Units (SJPUs) in the districts and cities in the areas where they have not been so constituted, within three months, under the charge of the officers not below the rank of deputy superintendent of police. The court also directed the state to review the existing SJPUs, and added if the officers above are not part of the said units as envisaged under section 107 of the Act of 2015 read with Rule 86 of State Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Model Rules, 2016 (Model Rules, 2016), necessary directions to be issued to reconstitute the said units, within three months.

13) To ensure at least one officer not below the rank of Assistant Sub-Inspector is designated as the Child Welfare Officer (CWO) in every police station within four months. The court further added that necessary instructions shall be issued within a period of four weeks to ensure that all police officers take the periodical review of progress and training imparted to them. The court also directed to revise the training module in a timely manner and impart training on the revised module for enhancing the child rights and protection framework in the State.

14) To finalise the Juvenile Justice Model Rules, 2016 and notify within three months.

15) To conduct social audits of every institution as provided under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, within six months. The court further directed to conduct a social audit every year and a report to be submitted by the end of June of the year in which the audit is carried out.

While issuing the directions the court said that the responsibility of co-ordinating the implementation of the directions shall be on the principal secretary of the Women and Child Welfare Department of the state.