New Delhi, Jun 20 (PTI) A total of 2,250 adoption orders have been issued since the amended rules of the Juvenile Justice Act came into force in September last year, according to a senior official.
The official said 997 cases of adoption were pending in courts when the amended Juvenile Justice Act came into force.
According to the amended law, district magistrates, instead of courts, have been assigned the duty of issuing adoption orders.
The DMs will also independently evaluate the functioning of the district child protection units, child welfare committees, juvenile justice boards, specialised juvenile police units, child care institutions etc., according to the Act.
There have been concerns that giving the responsibility to the DMs will lead to delays as they are already over-burdened.
In January, the Bombay High Court granted an interim stay on the transfer of the pending adoption matters from the courts to the DMs and directed the courts to continue adjudicating such cases.
The high court clarified that it had not stalled adoptions and all procedures related to it should continue as they were before the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2021.
The women and child development ministry official said the process has, in fact, become more streamlined.
In Maharashtra, 350 cases are pending with specialised adoption agencies and child welfare committees over ambiguity on whom the cases should be given to — DMs or courts — the official said.
According to the official, a total of 2,250 adoption orders have been issued since the amended Act came into force.
The official said adoption counselling has been stipulated at pre-adoption, adoption and post-adoption levels both for older children and the adoptive parents. Counsellors are being trained with the help of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) under SAMVAD, the official added.
According to the official, 581 chief medical officers have been on-boarded onto the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System (CARINGS) to issue certificates for children with special needs. PTI UZM RC
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