Kids in institutions to be sent home after scrutiny: Supreme Court

New Delhi: The central government on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that it had set aside the December 9 order of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to send back all children in care homes across the country back to their homes in a bid to check the spread of Covid-19 in such institutions.

No child will be repatriated without following the requirements of the Juvenile Justice Act, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a bench led by Justice L Nageshwara Rao. The direction of the NCPCR to en masse shift the kids had drawn much criticism. The court’s attention was drawn to the issue by amicus curiae Gaurav Agrawal.

While the juvenile justice act mandates that each case be scrutinised on the basis of specific facts to ensure that the child’s well-being is ensured under all circumstances, the Commission had directed that all be sent back to their homes.