The Justice K. Chandru Committee has recommended that the Tamil Nadu government pull down the existing structure of the government homes for children in conflict with law (CCL) and construct new homes that “should not look like a prison or jail”.
The practice that grants preference to ex-inmates in recruitment of guards, security and gate-keepers must be stopped forthwith, it said, adding that only qualified persons should be recruited in adherence to rules and through a notified agency. “During the past six years, 176 ex-inmates have been recruited as guards, security and gate-keepers. There have been 47 cases of inmates escaping during the past 10 years,” Mr. Chandru told The Hindu.
Inmates are being fed through the iron bars. Teachers and students are separated by iron bars. There have also been cases of suicides.
The panel further recommended that the State government establish an exclusive board to administer all government homes for CCL functioning under the Social Welfare Department and create a new directorate for running child care institutions (CCIs) for CCL by bifurcating the Directorate of Social Defence.
The one-man committee was constituted by the State government after the mysterious death of a 17-year-old male inmate of the Government Observation Home in Chengalpattu in December 2022. Its mandate was to make recommendations for effective functioning and administration of homes in accordance with the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
Mr. Chandru submitted his report to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin at the Secretariat here on Tuesday. Chief Secretary Shiv Das Meena and senior officials were present. Incidentally, the former judge had declined to avail himself of any transport facility, reimbursement towards his official travel and daily allowance. As part of his task, he had visited government observation homes, special homes, and places of safety in Chengalpattu, Chennai, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Madurai, Salem, Thanjavur, Tiruchi, Tirunelveli, and Vellore districts.
The report’s other recommendations include the enactment of legislation for setting up the Tamil Nadu Board for Special Services for Children, which would administer all the government homes meant for CCL functioning under the Social Welfare Department. The Hindu accessed a copy of the report.
According to the report, the exclusive board should be an autonomous body that will establish and maintain observation homes, special homes, places of safety, and after-care homes meant for CCL and plan infrastructure for the homes and design and execute the structure. It is to have a Chairperson (Minister for Social Welfare), a Managing Director (a senior IAS officer) and five directors drawn from the fields of children’s security, education, psychiatry, and health, among others.
The Directorate of Social Defence should be bifurcated immediately, it added. The Directorate of Social Defence would continue to have governance over the CCIs meant for care and protection, while the new directorate, which is to be named ‘Department of Special Services’, would administer CCIs meant for CCL.
The panel further recommended that the government immediately notify the rules framed for the amendment to the J.J. Act, 2021, which had received the President’s assent in September 2022. “Since a number of agencies such as JJBs, CWCs, Human Rights Commission (both Centre and State) as well as the High Court Monitoring Committee are connected to the homes, it is advisable that a nodal officer be appointed at the headquarters to interact with all the agencies and attend to issues raised from time to time,” it said.
It also recommended setting up of at least one home in each district. (Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050).
