The Delhi High Court on Monday directed the city Government to expedite the process of appointing a nodal officer for coordination with the Public Works Department (PWD) on maintenance of infrastructure at juvenile observation homes.
A Bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Vipin Sanghi asked the Delhi Government to submit a report, before the next date of hearing on January 30, informing the court about the steps taken by it on appointing a nodal officer.
It also asked the Government’s Ministry of Women & Child Development (WCD) to inform it about the steps it takes for creation of six new posts for dealing with the safety and security at juvenile homes.
The Department of Women & Child Development has decided to create six new posts as its initial decision to appoint police personnel on deputation did not work out since the deputation was to be voluntary and only one officer had volunteered, while six were needed.
Advocate Zubeda Begum, appearing for the department, informed the court that while the modalities with respect to the deputation have been worked out, only one officer from Delhi Police had volunteered for the six posts that were created within WCD.
Earlier, WCD and Delhi Police had given a joint proposal for maintaining law and order at juvenile homes here and as per it, policemen would be sent on deputation to serve there.
She also submitted that the nodal officer to coordinate with PWD on infrastructure issues of juvenile homes is yet to be appointed even though a court had given direction on the issue in March this year. The Delhi Government, meanwhile, submitted a report on steps taken to maintain safety and security within juvenile homes.
According to the report, the Government has renovated the infrastructure of the observation homes and has made temporary arrangements to segregate “aggressive
and habitual” juveniles and is in the process of completing construction of a seminar hall-test identification parade (TIP) room and a meeting room.
Proposals are also being considered for raising the height of the boundary wall and creation of security posts as well as fixing of fencing wires on top of the walls, the report said. It said that a vocational training centre has been set up, which provides retail marketing and mobile repair courses and an NGO has been included to provide education to the juveniles in the observation homes.
The earlier civil security agency has been replaced with Directorate General Resettlement (DGR) empanelled firm employing ex-Army personnel. Police have been deployed in the outer periphery to prevent escapes, it said.
In February, after some juveniles escaped from an observation home in the city, the High Court had directed the city Government to immediately deploy police personnel at such homes.
The court had taken suo motu cognizance of news reports on December 16, last year that a group of delinquent minors had escaped from an observation home after an eight-hour rampage during which they indulged in rioting, vandalism and arson. Similar incidents had taken place in other observation homes.