The Madras High Court has expressed the hope that the Director General of Police will ensure that children who are employed illegally and made to beg are rescued and rehabilitated and action be taken to rescue missing children across the State.
While hearing a habeas corpus petition recently, senior police officers were present and filed a status report on the missing children rescued and rehabilitated in Chennai and Coimbatore cities.
A Division Bench comprising Justices S. Nagamuthu and V. Bharathidasan said, “We are also hopeful that the District Child Welfare Committee concerned and the Director of Social Defence would take appropriate action for the rehabilitation of the children who are rescued and produced before the respective committees.”
They also directed police authorities and authorities under the Factories Act and other enactments to take appropriate penal action against the persons responsible for either employing the children or allowing them to beg. Additional Commissioner of Police K. Shankar submitted that efforts were on to rescue the remaining missing children.
“We are hopeful that the remaining missing children will also be rescued and produced before the respective District Child Welfare Committee before the next hearing date,” the Bench said and further directed the respective District Child Welfare Committees to file a status report before June 9 this year.
Rehabilitation
Member of Chennai District Welfare Committee Siva Jayakumar said that appropriate action was being taken under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2015 to rehabilitate the rescued children on completion of the rescue operation.
Pat for police
The Bench also placed on record its appreciation for Chennai Police Commissioner and Coimbatore Police Commissioner and police personnel and other officials from other departments and District Child Welfare Committees, who conducted the operation to rescue the children and to rehabilitate them.
