To swiftly appoint individuals to the vacant positions of Chairperson and Members of the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR), the Delhi High Court requested input from the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) and other involved parties in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Tuesday. A deadline was established for this procedure.
Once again, the bench comprising Justices Manmohan and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora criticized the Delhi Government for the delays in appointments, emphasizing that “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” The court set a detailed hearing for this matter on July 16, 2024.
The National Child Development Council, an autonomous child welfare organization, submitted the petition. It alleged that the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights Rules’ clause 8(2) was breached due to the absence of a chairperson in the DCPCR since July 2, 2023.
Advocate Robin Raju, representing the petitioner group, also sent a communication to the GNCTD, urging for the appointment of a chairperson for the DCPCR. The representation underscored the current state of the formerly proactive body, now inactive due to the absence of a chairperson.
The plea also asserted that the DCPCR’s functionality has been adversely affected since the conclusion of former Chairman Anurag Kundu’s term on July 2, 2023. It has been over eight months since the departure of the last chairperson. Furthermore, the DCPCR website indicates that the organization is currently functioning despite the absence of a member.
Since the expiration of the chairperson’s term, media reports have highlighted the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the DCPCR. A Times of India article dated November 30, 2023, outlines the DCPCR’s inability to address outstanding debts amounting to Rs. 3 crores at that time, including office rent. The report also mentions that, due to a shortage of staff, the chatbot Bal Mitra, launched by the DCPCR on February 1, 2023, is no longer functional despite earlier claims of its effectiveness. Additionally, the DCPCR board is facing a severe shortage of staff, leading to a backlog of cases.
