Hyderabad: Chief Justice of the Telangana High Court Aparesh Kumar Singh called for stronger and coordinated implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act, saying its success cannot rest with any single department, court or organisation. He said the Jharkhand model, which significantly improved outcomes for children from vulnerable groups through effective coordination among stakeholders, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, could be replicated in Telangana.“Proper implementation could reduce child migration, domestic labour and exploitation by supporting families before children are pushed into risk,” the chief justice said while delivering the keynote address at an event on the Juvenile Justice Act in the city on Thursday.Drawing on his experience in Jharkhand, he said child care institutions should function as reformative centres rather than places where children are merely housed, fed and given occasional teaching.He recalled efforts in Jharkhand to introduce structured daily routines with the help of ex-servicemen, along with education, counselling, vocational training, discipline, nutrition and follow-up support, helping children regain confidence and avoid delinquency.He said village-level child protection committees, paralegal volunteers and district-level systems helped identify vulnerable and orphaned children, link them to sponsorship, schooling, healthcare and housing support, and prevent trafficking.The chief justice suggested that Telangana examine a similar model, strengthen grassroots tracking, activate local protection committees and build continuous training systems so that every vulnerable child receives timely care, protection and rehabilitation.Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya said the Juvenile Justice Act places the child at the centre of justice and goes beyond care and protection by emphasising rehabilitation, reintegration and meaningful mainstreaming into society.Emphasising dignity, she said children must be protected from humiliation, abuse and exploitation and be allowed to participate in decisions affecting their future.Courts, the judge said, “Must remain child-friendly and ensure that proceedings do not retraumatise or revictimise children, and that every child leaves court feeling heard, safe and hopeful.”Telangana DGP CV Anand raised questions on how the law should treat children aged 16 to 18 accused of heinous crimes, asking whether offences, assessment standards and even the juvenile age limit require review.Anand called for a time-bound action plan to strengthen juvenile justice, including trained child welfare police officers in every station, audited special juvenile police units, stronger rescue and rehabilitation links, and real-time tracking.Referring to rising cybercrimes against children and repeat rescue cases, Anand said the police, judiciary, welfare departments and civil society must function as one system.Sonykutty George, Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF Hyderabad, called for stronger child protection systems by focusing on three key areas: convergence of oversight mechanisms, a reliable data backbone, and improved handling of cases involving children in conflict with the law. He also flagged cases in which children aged 16 to 18 accused of serious or heinous offences were moved from Juvenile Justice Boards to courts without proper review.– Sonykutty George, Specialist, Child Protection, Unicef, Hyderabad, called for stronger child protection systems by focusing on three key areas: convergence of oversight mechanisms, a reliable data backbone and better handling of cases involving children in conflict with the law. He also flagged cases where children aged 16 to 18 accused of serious or heinous offences were moved out of juvenile justice boards to courts without proper review.Ends//
