Delhi 1st: Court for kids in Feb.
By February next, Delhi will become the first city in the country to have children’s courts which will exclusively take up cases where a child is a victim.
A total of nine courts are being set up and the first court is expected to be functional by February next year. Currently, the Delhi police and Delhi government are identifying cases pending in various city courts involving children.
The initiative to open children’s court was taken by Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) and it had approached the Delhi high court to allow setting up of these courts. The court had subsequently issued a direction to set up the courts.
“The courts will start functioning within next two months. The process to identify the cases where children are victim is going on,” DCPCR chairperson Amod Kanth said.
The decision to set up children courts was taken so that a child does not suffer due to delay in judicial process.
Mr Kanth said purview of Juvenile Justice Act comes when child commits a crime or if he is in need of protection or if he is a victim of exploitation. But there is no provision in the legislation to safeguard rights of a child if he is a victim of crime.
The children courts will deal with cases where a child has suffered due to any form of violence or crime.
“The basic idea of setting up the courts is to ensure justice to a child victim. Delhi will become the first city in the country to have such courts,” he said adding that the notification for setting up of the courts has already been issued.
There is a provision under the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act 2005 to set up children’s courts.
“As the provision was there, we approached the Delhi high court which endorsed our view and sought formation of the courts,” he said.
Mr Kanth said the DCPCR had also held several rounds of discussion with the city government for making the courts functional at the earliest.
“After the process of identification is over, the cases will be transferred to these designated courts,” he said.
The DCPCR chief said commission will requested top police officials to direct all station house officers in the city to ensure that in future cases where a child is a victim are only sent to these designated courts to be headed by senior additional sessions judges.
Delhi has two juvenile justice courts to deal with issues pertaining to children as perpetrators of crime and four child welfare courts to deal with issues pertaining to children in need of care and protection. —PTI
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