Shillong, Sep 4: Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere on Thursday said the review of the Juvenile Justice Act is an audit of society’s conscience and its promise to children.
She was addressing the state-level multi-stakeholder consultation on the ‘Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015: A Decade of Implementation and the Way Forward’ organised by the Juvenile Justice Committee of the Meghalaya High Court of Meghalaya in collaboration with the Social Welfare and Health departments.
“This meeting is not just a ritualistic review of the statute, but an audit of our conscience. We are here to review our promise to our children,” she said.
Justice Dere said the Act treats children in conflict with law as children needing reform, not criminals deserving punishment, marking a shift from retributive to restorative justice.
She flagged delays in age determination, poor quality of care in child institutions, lack of convergence among departments, substance abuse among children, and weak infrastructure.
Institutionalisation should be the last resort, especially in Meghalaya with its strong kinship networks, she said, calling for better coordination among police, education, health and labour departments to tackle dropout, mental health and child labour.
She also sought a real-time state monitoring system and regular interaction among Juvenile Justice Boards and Child Welfare Committees.
“If we fail a child today, we will face an offender tomorrow,” the Chief Justice said.
Justice Hamarsan Singh Thangkhiew, Chairperson of the Juvenile Justice Committee, and Additional Chief Secretary Sampath Kumar also shared their views. Justice B Bhattacharjee, Social Welfare Director Saloni Verma, Health Director Dr Neela E Kharsahnoh and officials from various departments were present.
The consultation also featured technical sessions with resource persons sharing insights on the juvenile justice system.
