2nd Roundtable on Juvenile Justice System
* Justice Gupta for involving social organizations to ensure Juvenile safety
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Aug 25: Justice Madan B Lokur, Judge Supreme Court of India today complemented the Juvenile Justice Committee of the J&K High Court and the J&K Government for the substantive measures taken for reintegration and rehabilitation of juveniles in the State.
“When we are talking about implementation of J&K Juvenile Justice Act, the judiciary in J&K has been able to get various stakeholders whether police, NGOs, government etc on board for the effective implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2013. But at the same time winning the public trust is also must for proper implementation of the Act,” Justice Lokur, who is also the Chairman, of the Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Justice said while speaking at 2nd Roundtable Conference jointly organized by the Juvenile Justice Committee of Supreme Court of India, Juvenile Justice Committee of J&K High Court, J&K Government and UNICEF.
Justice Deepak Gupta, Judge Supreme Court of India and Member Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Justice, Chief Justice, J&K High Court, Justice Gita Mittal, Advisor to Governor, Khurshid Ahmed Ganai, Chief Secretary, BVR Subrahmanyam, Judges of J&K High Court, Justice Alok Aradhe, Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey, Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur, Justice Tashi Rabastan, Justice Janak Raj Kotwal, Justice M K Hanjura, Justice Sindhu Sharma, Justice Rashid Ali Dar, Justice (Retd) Hasnain Masoodi, (Chairman, Selection-cum-Oversight Committee JJ Act), Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, former judge, Advocate General, DC Raina, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, Aastha Saxena, Special DGP, V.K. Singh, Chief Child Protection, UNICEF, Aguilar Javier, Secretary Law, Abdul Majid Bhat, Secretary Social Welfare, Dr Farooq Lone, Registrar General J&K High Court, Sanjay Dhar, Director State Judicial Academy, Abdul Rashid Malik, Director ICPS and large number of judicial officers of subordinate courts, Members of NGOs, social organizations and several other stakeholders participated in the conference.
Making references to success stories on effective rehabilitation of Juvenile Justice System in J&K, Justice Lokur stressed upon the members of the society to focus on protection of children from being harmed through children and unscrupulous elements. “The solution of not being a juvenile is that we should protect them from committing any offence, that is where we can stop them from being in conflict with the law,” he added.
He said the approach of the executive officials and the judicial system should be aimed at addressing the vulnerabilities of the children and ensuring their rehabilitation, adding that the idea behind rehabilitation is that people are not born criminals, thus should be given a chance to be restored and reintegrated with society.
Justice Deepak Gupta, Judge Supreme Court of India, Member Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Justice in his address stressed the need for larger participation of community, members of NGOs, social organizations for the safety of the juveniles.
He emphasized for a cautious approach by the agencies while dealing with the juveniles and every effort must be made to mould the mindset of the children to bring them on the right path. He also stressed for a close vigil by the society to prevent the children from various abuses and securing the future of the children.
Chief Justice of J&K High Court, Justice Gita Mittal in her address said that the J&K Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of the Children) Act, 2013 and Rules 2014 provide a robust mechanism for implementing the provisions of the Act. She also said that with the orientation and training of judicial officers and professional social workers equipped with required resources, this will help us to achieve success in our mission of securing rehabilitation of children in conflict with law.
She said that that judiciary has to play a vital role in sensitizing all the stakeholders by bringing them together and in identifying workable solutions in order to trigger changes at the ground level.
In his welcome address, Chairman J&K High Court Juvenile Justice Committee, Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey stressed for the community participation for the rehabilitation of juveniles. He emphasized on the need to protect children as they are the greatest resource of the nation. He said main aim of the Conference was to come out with solutions to effectively implement the JJA in Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking on the occasion, Advisor to the Governor, Khurshid Ahmed Ganai said that the State Government is committed for safety, welfare, and overall development of the children.
“The State Government has taken various initiatives towards child welfare, which include introducing and implementing various welfare schemes through Social Welfare department,” Advisor said.
Chief Secretary, BVR Subrahmanyam in his power point presentation highlighted the steps taken by the State Government for the promotion of Juvenile Justice System in Jammu and Kashmir. He further said that in all districts of the State Juvenile Justice Boards have been set up along with necessary manpower and infrastructure which will further facilitate the requirements of juveniles. He said the State Government is committed to implement the JJ Act for the welfare of the juveniles. He also highlighted the social welfare schemes being implemented in the State.
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