Chief Justice of India, Justice Surya Kant has urged Legal Services Institutions to create a dedicated cadre of specialised defence counsel for children to represent them continuously from apprehension at the police station through final orders and rehabilitation.
Justice Surya Kant said this while inaugurating the two-day National Annual Stakeholders Consultation in New Delhi on ten years of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. He highlighted that the Act’s response must remain restorative rather than retributive, treating institutional confinement as a strict last resort. The Chief Justice observed that many Juvenile Justice Boards still lack legal aid clinics under NALSA’s Child-Friendly Legal Services Scheme, 2024. He also stressed on the need to fill vacancies of Probation Officers to ensure comprehensive Social Investigation Reports.
