If capital can't curb child labour, how will other states do: Delhi High Court

NEW DELHI: If the national capital, which is endowed with better infrastructure and other backups fails to to rescue child labourers, what would be the fate of other states where there is inadequate infrastructure, the Delhi High Court has asked.

A bench of Justice Kailash Gambhir and Justice P S Teji also concurred with the words of Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, crusader for child rights, "it is a shame that India has the highest number of child labourers in the world."

"To our consternation and dismay if the capital of the country, which is endowed with better infrastructure and other backups fails to take effective steps in its drive to rescue the children and doesn't succeed in properly rehabilitating them in terms of the directives given by the Supreme Court and the guidelines issued by the Standard Operating Procedure(SOP) then we fail to fathom what would be the providence or fate of other states/districts of India where good infrastructural facilities and manpower are scant and not adequate," it said.

The court made the observation while perusing reports of the state and central government agencies and stakeholders who failed to give proper explanation with regard to delay in the rescue of the two children in the national capital.

Initially, one Seema Roy moved court seeking direction to the authorities concerned including Delhi police to produce her 12-year-old minor son and to hand over his custody to her.

During hearing, the court learnt about various other missing children and child labour cases.

The concerned departments have come into action only after filing of the present plea and pursuant to certain directions given by this court, the judge noted.