Delhi HC seeks Centre, police response on status of child labour

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court today sought response of the Centre, Delhi government and the police for failing it to implement its order on elimination of child labour as a PIL claimed that the juvenile accused in Delhi gangrape case was also a victim of such abuse. A bench of Chief Justice D Murugesan and justice D K Jain issued notice after the petitioner connected the issue with the recent gangrape of 23-year-old girl in the moving bus and claimed that the juvenile allegedly involved in the case has been a victim of child labour since past 11 years. [caption id=“attachment_582847” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representative image. Reuters.[/caption] With the plea alleging “lackadaisical approach” of the authorities, the court questioned as to why its directions for implementing the action plan of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and other government departments were not carried out. The court has kept the matter for January 16 for further proceedings. The PIL alleged that the government agencies do not have any plausible reason for not implementing the July 15, 2007 directions of the high court by which 500 child labourers should be rescued every month keeping in mind the capacity of children homes. The PIL said failure to comply with the directions have resulted in child labourers growing up as “anti-social elements”. “In the December 16 Delhi gangrape case, it has come to light that one of the six accused who is a juvenile has been a victim of child labour since past 11 years. “It is submitted that had the judgement of July 15, 2007 been implemented in letter and spirit, the juvenile in question would have been rescued and rehabilitated and the unfortunate event which has shook the conscience of the entire nation may have been averted,” the petition filed by NGO, Save the Child Foundation, said. The high court in its July 2007 judgement had accepted an action plan for elimination of child labour in the capital by National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and other government departments and had issued directions in the case. The court had also directed that Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act would be applicable to provide protection to child labourers, regardless whether such employment is prohibited in the schedule of Child Labour (Prohibition) Act or not, in the age of 18 years. The PIL, filed through senior advocate H S Phoolka, said if the Delhi government in compliance with the court order had rescued 500 child labourers every month, till now over 18,000 victims would have been saved. It said that till now only 3,500 children have been rescued in Delhi since July 15, 2007. The petition sought court’s direction to the government and the police for rescue and rehabilitation of child labourers in compliance of its previous order. “For these 18000 rescued child labourers, more than Rs 36 crore ought to have been recovered, as per the direction of the high court and also the Supreme Court, and such money would have been adequate to ensure the rehabilitation of rescued child labourers and their education. However, in reality, none of this has happened,” the petition claimed. PTI