HC directs child welfare committee to keep 20 rescued Meghalaya children in temporary shelter

Chennai:

The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Chairman of Child Welfare Committee in Krishnagiri to keep the 20 children of Meghalaya rescued from a hostel in the temporary custody till further orders.

In an interim order, Chief Justice of Madras High Court Rajesh Kumar Agrawal and justice K RavichandraBaabu  directed the chairman of Child Welfare Committee in Krishnagiri to keep the children in the non governmental organization Narendra Nambikkai Natchathiram in Hosur and appointed C Thirumagal, a seesions judge of Magalir Neethimandram in Krishnagiri to monitor the welfare measures provided to the children.

After going through the status report filed by Child Welfare Committee as well as the sub-collector of Hosur and also rejoinder affidavit of parents, the judges passed the interim order to protect the welfare of the children during the pendency of the proceedings.

It has also directed the Sessions judge to file a report within the next two weeks on whether the NGO in Hosur is providing proper shelter, clothing food and education to the 20 Meghalaya children.

It also directed the Child Welfare Committee to render all assistance and cooperation to the sessions judge.

The children were moved from a hostel Trust to Meghalaya to a temporary shelter Nambikkai Natchathiram, a NGO recognized by the state government, in Hosur, after the Child Welfare Committee took cognizance of a complaint filed by one Narayanan and invoked section 38 of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000. It also ordered the children to be sent back to Meghalaya. In its status report CWC said the hostel violated the provision of the Juvenile Justice Act by trafficking the girl children from Meghalaya to Tamil Nadu.

Interestingly, the petitioners, claiming to be the parents of the children, have stated that they on their own and for the betterment of children and with their consent had willingly sent their children to the hostel run by the trust for better future and higher education.

Claiming the allegations against the Trust Hostel as baseless, the parents alleged that the children were not given proper food besides they were beaten and abuse frequently and coerced to go back to Meghalaya at the temporary shelter. They also alleged that the children were forced to eat inedible food.

“By taking note of these rival contentions and before deciding the larger issue involved, we would like to ensure that these children are being taken care of and treated properly without room for any complaint during the pendency of the proceedings,” the judges observed.