NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday noticed legislative silence on who should take care of children with special needs after they become 18-year-olds – a time triggered event that disentitles them from residing in state-run childcare homes and sought the Union government’s response to a PIL seeking life-long governmental care for this category of persons.
Appearing for petitioner and veteran journalist K S R Menon, advocate Abir Phukan told a bench of CJI D Y Chandrachud, Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra that though the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, mandated the state to look after children who have no one to support them till the age of 18 years, there is no provision relating to such children with special needs after they turn 18.
Menon in his petition said, “Without provisions for such after-care, that is care that is given to such children needing care and protection (CNCP) after 18 years when they are discharged from children’s homes or child care institutions (‘CCIs’) under JJ Act, their rehabilitation and integration into society will remain a distant dream.”
Appearing for petitioner and veteran journalist K S R Menon, advocate Abir Phukan told a bench of CJI D Y Chandrachud, Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra that though the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, mandated the state to look after children who have no one to support them till the age of 18 years, there is no provision relating to such children with special needs after they turn 18.
Menon in his petition said, “Without provisions for such after-care, that is care that is given to such children needing care and protection (CNCP) after 18 years when they are discharged from children’s homes or child care institutions (‘CCIs’) under JJ Act, their rehabilitation and integration into society will remain a distant dream.”
