Maharashtra's Initiative: Sensitising JJB Members for Effective Child Justice

The Maharashtra Women and Child Development department will conduct workshops to sensitise Juvenile Justice Board members about the Juvenile Justice Act, especially after criticism following the JJB's bail decision in the Pune Porsche car crash case. The program includes training on other child protection laws and monthly and quarterly reviews by district authorities.

The Maharashtra Women and Child Development department will conduct workshops to sensitise Juvenile Justice Board members about the Juvenile Justice Act, the move coming in wake of the flak received following the JJB granting bail to the main accused in the Pune Porsche car crash case.

Two persons were killed in the early hours of May 19 in Kalyani Nagar here after their two wheeler was hit by a speeding Porsche allegedly driven by a drunk minor.

After the minor was given bail, the WCD department had set up a five member committee to probe the conduct of the JJB. Each district has a three-member Juvenile Justice Board. Two members of the board are appointed by the state government, while one member is from the judiciary.

''Post the incident, we have issued fresh guidelines to JJB members. I have visited five districts, namely Nashik, Ahmednagar, Nanded, Solapur and Akola. I met JJB members appointed by the state government and conducted counselling sessions about the JJ Act and its effective implementation,'' said Women and Child Development Department Commissioner Dr Prashant Narnavare said on Friday.

''The WCD department has drafted a syllabus regarding the JJ Act, which will serve as a guide for the JJB members. From next month, we, in collaboration with the Mahatma Gandhi Training Institute (MGTI), will start training sessions for JJB and Child Welfare Committee (CWC) members,'' Narnavare said.

The role of JJB and CWC members is dual, with one related to the judicial aspect and the other pertains to rehabilitation, he said.

''All members know their roles, but through this sensitization program, we will once again review their roles within the legal framework and clarify what they are supposed to do in specific situations. The Collector and the Principal District Judge (PDJ) supervise the JJBs in their respective districts. We are requesting them to review the JJBs on a monthly and quarterly basis,'' he stated.

JJB members should not feel they are beyond oversight, as the collector and PDJ in every district supervise them, Narnavare said, adding that the collector carries out a review every month and the PDJ every three months.

''The sensitisation programmes include all aspects and points related to the JJ Act. We are also providing sensitization on the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), the Child Marriage Act, Child Labour laws, and how to rehabilitate children in conflict with the law (CCLs) by drafting rehabilitation plans to ensure they do not return to criminal activity,'' he explained.

Such sensitization workshops have already been conducted in Nanded, Nashik, Akola, Solapur and Parbhani districts, which involved covering points post the car accident, the WCD commissioner said.

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