SC raps states over slow identification of street kids, seeks status report in 3 weeks

The Supreme Court has pulled up states for the delay in the identification and rehabilitation of street children. The court observed that the special juvenile police units (SJPUs) that were supposed to be created in each district have not been set up properly.

The Supreme Court has now directed district magistrates across the country to involve SJPUs, NGOs, and voluntary organisations to identify children on the streets.

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“Rehabilitation of children who have already been identified needs to be expedited. State governments need to take policy decisions on the rehabilitation of kids living on the streets,” it said.

The SC directed the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to conduct a meeting with all states over their policies on the rehabilitation of children living on the streets. "File status report within three weeks," the court said.

The SC also warned that authorities who have not been following the rules regarding the rehabilitation of street children could be taken to task and punished under the rules under the Juvenile Justice Act.

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“In the next meeting to be conducted by NCPCR, the issue of rehabilitation of children without waiting for the entire procedure of putting the data on the portal should be discussed,” the court directed.