New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the city government`s stand on two pleas on juvenile delinquents - one alleging that they are often lodged in Tihar jail with hardened criminals after their arrest and the second alleging deaths of 74 underage offenders in various observation homes.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw sought the stands of the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the city government as well as the city police. The bench sought the government`s reply on the issue of lodging of underage offenders in Tihar jail, taking cognisance of a letter by a Juvenile Justice Board advocate Anant Kumar Asthana, who made the allegations.
Issuing notices to the government and the police, the court sought their replies by December 21.
Treating Asthana`s letter as a PIL, the bench appointed advocate Pankaj Sinha as amicus curiae to assist it in the matter. In his letter, Asthana claimed that about 140 children were first lodged in Tihar Jail after their arrest and were later shifted to various juvenile homes between October 2010 and August.
He alleged that police make no effort to ascertain if the criminal is a juvenile, while picking them up.
PTI