Case: Suo Motu v The Government of Kerala & ors (WPC 7380/2018 & 23669/2019)

Bench: Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji

In a significant move to strengthen child protection laws, the Kerala High Court has issued a slew of 15 key directions to the State government, mandating a comprehensive, time-bound overhaul of the Juvenile Justice (JJ) system.

The Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice Basant Balaji, stressed the urgent need to address systemic lapses that leave children vulnerable to neglect and exploitation. The Court's order aims to ensure the effective implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, moving from progressive-on-paper laws to practical, on-ground protection for children's rights.

The Court's Rationale: "Gaps in Implementation"

The High Court's intervention was prompted by its observation of significant gaps between the intent of child protection laws and their actual implementation in Kerala.

The Bench noted that despite the country having progressive legislation, the existing system in the State was "marred by lapses." These critical failures—including chronic staff shortages, delays in rehabilitation services, and a lack of proper data management—create a perilous environment for the very children the system is meant to protect.

The Court emphasized that these shortcomings leave "children in conflict with the law" and "children in need of care and rehabilitation" vulnerable to systemic neglect and, in the worst cases, exploitation.

The judgment stressed that the State must urgently address these gaps, ensuring that all child protection bodies, from the State Commission to the district-level units, function effectively and are properly staffed.

Context: The Sampurna Behura Mandate

The proceedings were initiated suo motu by the High Court, acting on the directions laid down by the Supreme Court in its landmark 2018 judgment in Sampurna Behura v Union of India. That Supreme Court ruling had mandated High Courts across the country to monitor the implementation of the Juvenile Justice framework.

The High Court also disposed of a connected writ petition filed by the child rights NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan and its program director, Sampurna Behura, which sought the effective implementation of the JJ Act in Kerala in line with the Supreme Court's directions.

The 15-Point Directive

The High Court's judgment sets forth 15 specific, time-bound directives to overhaul the system. The responsibility for coordinating and monitoring this implementation has been placed directly on the Principal Secretary of the Women and Child Welfare Department.

Here are the key directions issued by the Court:

Fill KeSCPCR Vacancies: Fill all existing vacancies in the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR) within four weeks.
Proactive Recruitment: To prevent administrative gaps, the recruitment process for upcoming vacancies in the KeSCPCR, Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs), and Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) must be initiated at least four months before the posts become vacant.
Timely Annual Reports: The KeSCPCR's annual report for 2024–25 must be completed and published within eight weeks. Future annual reports must be filed by the end of June every year, with guidelines for this framework to be issued within four weeks.
SOP for CCI Inspections: A Multi-Stakeholder Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for conducting annual inspections of all Child Care Institutions (CCIs) must be created. Pending inspections for the current year are to be completed within three months.
Reconstitute CWCs & JJBs: The reconstitution of all Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) and Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) must be completed within eight weeks.
CWC Functioning: Mandate that all CWCs must meet for at least 21 days a month, as required under the JJ Act, 2015.
Fill Board Vacancies: Similar to the KeSCPCR, vacancies in JJBs and CWCs must be advertised at least 4 months before the members' terms end.
Hire Probation Officers: The recruitment for Probation Officers and other key posts must also start at least four months prior to vacancies arising.
Rehabilitation Protocol: A draft protocol for the information and rehabilitation of children within the system must be developed within three months.
National Data Upload: All data from the state on missing and rescued children must be uploaded to the National Mission Vatsalya portal within three months.
Set Up Special Police Units: Issue directions to set up Special Juvenile Police Units (SJPUs) in all districts within three months. These units must be under the charge of an officer not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police.
Designate Child Welfare Officers: Designate at least one Child Welfare Officer (CWO), not below the rank of Assistant Sub-Inspector, in every police station within four months.
Train Police Officers: Update and implement a mandatory training module for all designated CWOs.
Finalise State JJ Rules: The State Juvenile Justice Model Rules, 2016, must be finalised and notified within three months.
Mandatory Social Audits: Annual social audits must be conducted for all Child Care Institutions within six months. Following this, such audits must be conducted every year, with reports submitted by June.

The Way Forward

This judgment signals a new phase of judicial monitoring aimed at enforcing accountability. By setting concrete deadlines and assigning clear responsibility, the Kerala High Court has created a non-negotiable roadmap for the State government to repair its broken child protection framework.

Senior Advocate Santhosh Mathew assisted by Advocate Arun Thomas appeared for the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA). The State was represented by Special Government Pleader V Manu. Advocates Deepu Thankan, Ummul Fida, and Lakshmi Sreedhar represented the petitioners from Bachpan Bachao Andolan.

Judgement Copy :- https://hckinfo.keralacourts.in/digicourt/orders/2018/215700073802018_14.pdf