In a rare visit to an observation home for juveniles in conflict with law here on Saturday, two judges of the Madras High Court — Chitra Venkataraman and G.M. Akbar Ali — promised to provide all necessary assistance to the inmates.
They also asked the inmates to submit petitions stating their grievances, if any.
Speaking to the office-bearers of Madurai Children's Aid Society, a private body which manages the home, Ms. Venkataraman said that provisions should be made to assist the children achieve their goals in life.
Testing field
“I want this place to be a testing field. Give me the details of their family background, their likes, dislikes and special requirements. I want the complete data. You can also call their parents and have a dialogue with them and ask the children to open up and speak their mind.”
She also had a word of advice to the children most of whom were lodged in the observation home in connection with theft cases. “You should not have a yearning for others' money. Always think of growing up to be a good person in life and earning your own money.”
Judge overwhelmed
The judge was overwhelmed when a 16-year-old girl, the only female inmate out of the 14 lodged in the home as on Saturday, said that she aspired to become a nurse.
A boy wanted the judge to help him become an automobile mechanic. Immediately, the judge asked the representatives of non-governmental organisations, working in rehabilitating such children, to arrange for an automobile engineer, who could explain the mechanics to the boy to encourage him move in the right direction.
Syed Ahamed, Managing Trustee, Foundation for Human Rights and Democracy (FOHRD), an NGO based here, told the judge that one of the old inmates of the home, accused of a heinous crime of murder, had now completed his Bachelor of Commerce course and taken up a job in Chennai.
Paucity of time
The judges visited the home after the cancellation of a scheduled visit of Supreme Court judge Altamas Kabir, who is also chairman of the National Legal Services Authority, and Chief Justice of the Madras High Court M. Yusuf Eqbal, due to paucity of time and preoccupation with other official visits.
The Observation Home here also houses the Juvenile Justice Board exercising jurisdiction over Madurai, Dindigul, Theni, Sivaganga, Virudhunagar, and Ramanathapuram districts.
