IMPHAL: The Manipur High Court recently commanded the Social Welfare Department to develop a thorough budget for 2024-25. Chief Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Golmei Gaiphulshillu Kabui enforced this order one Saturday. They encouraged conformity to the new Budget Heads. These heads match Rule 83(iv) of The Juvenile Justice (Care And Protection of Children) Model Rules, 2016, with its 17 clear objectives. The department should present these estimates at the next hearing.
This issue came about as the court aims for the full execution of the Juvenile Justice Act in the state. Earlier, they requested the Social Welfare Department to give information on the fund allocations for the Juvenile Justice Fund.
Section 105 of the Juvenile Justice Act, along with Rules 29 to 34, state the necessary infrastructure to support the children covered by this law. Despite too little explanation on using the Rs. 10 lakh allotment for 2022-2023, the court granted additional time to provide more information.
The Amicus curiae pointed out that although they provided an affidavit listing the budget, it lacked details on area allocations. These included physical facilities, linen, hygiene, daily schedule, nutrition, medical and mental health care, education, vocational training, and recreation. Unable to provide a detailed affidavit, the court postponed the hearing to give the department more time.
The court asked the state government to list in their report the money set aside for the juvenile justice fund. It must line up with Section 105 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act of 2015. This also includes Rule 83(4) of the 2016 Model Rules of the same Act. They’ve got three weeks to do this. It’s worth noting that the public interest trial is still ongoing. It’s a way to check on how the state government is doing with the Juvenile Justice Act of 2015 and its attached rules.
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