Finally, hope floats for Dongri kids

The Indian Express8217; pursuit of the story behind the locked gates of the Children8217;s Observation Home at Dongri has borne fruit. The...

The Indian Express8217; pursuit of the story behind the locked gates of the Children8217;s Observation Home at Dongri has borne fruit. The Bombay High Court, taking cognisance of some of the news reports on the issue, on Thursday suo motu converted these reports into a public interest litigation PIL after the petitioner, Mohan Krishnan, president of the National Anti-Corruption and Crime Prevention Council, a voluntary organisation, brought them to the court8217;s notice.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud has issued notices to the state government and to Congressman Sitaram Waghmode, the superintendent of the Dongri home and chairperson of the Children Aid8217;s Society, which manages the home.

In a series of reports in April and May, The Indian Express unmasked the apathetic faces behind the home. The reports also chronicled the pathos of scores of juvenile delinquents, urchins, child labourers, all those who end up in this state-run institution.

The Chief Minister responded by saying he was 8216;8216;shocked8217;8217; and would punish 8216;8216;the guilty8217;8217; after an enquiry. In June 8212; after retired Justice A.B. Palkar had submitted his findings 8212; The Indian Express asked the Woman and Child Welfare Department for a copy. 8216;8216;It8217;s confidential,8217;8217; the babus said. The Express team then used the Maharashtra Right to Information Act to find out whether times have really changed.

Krishnan, in two letters addressed to the Chief Justice, directed the court8217;s attention to four Express reports, dated March 24, March 25, April 8 and April 9. The letters pleaded with the court to take up the issue and suggest a course of action to remedy the situation.

Additional government pleader Pradip Patil told The Indian Express that the petition would not be adversorial in nature. It is scheduled to come up for hearing in the first week of November.