Chennai: The Madras High Court today took suo
motu cognisance of a report about the escape of 18 boys from a
juvenile home and directed the state government to file
an affidavit on the security measures taken for the safety of
juveniles lodged in Observation Homes.
The First Bench, comprising Chief Justice M Y Eqbal and
Justice T S Sivagnanam, treated a press report on the issue as
a PIL and gave the directions.
The Judges also told the authorities concerned to reply to
an allegation about the shortage of space inside a city home,
forcing juveniles to sleep on the verandah.
Additional Advocate-General, P Wilson, submitted that a
heap of debris from a construction site dumped adjacent to the
compound wall may have facilitated the escape on Saturday
night.
The Judges told the city Corporation Commissioner to file
an affidavit stating why the civic body allowed builders and
property owners in the vicinity of the Home to dump the debris
along side of the wall.
The petition will be taken up on September eight.
PTI
