Context:
- The government introduced an amendment to the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act, 2015, in the Lok Sabha to empower District Magistrates with the authority to grant adoption orders.
Details:
- The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2018, revises the provisions governing adoptions in the JJ Act by making changes to Section 56,58, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64 and 65, where the word “court” has been replaced by “District Magistrate.”
- The changes are applicable for both domestic and international applications.
- The bill also proposes the transfer of all adoption cases in various courts to the District Magistrates concerned.
Why was the amendment proposed?
- The heavy workload of the courts had been resulting in “inordinate delay” in issuing adoption orders. as many as 629 cases relating to the passing of orders for adoption were pending in various courts across the country as on July 20, 2018
- The amendment was proposed with the objective of avoiding pendency of cases.
- The bill seeks to empower the district magistrates to issue orders for adoption in order to avert inordinate delay by the courts in doing the same.
- It will make the adoption procedure faster for prospective parents, by avoiding delays in courts.
Juvenile Justice Act 2015:
The Act came into effect from January 15, 2016, with comprehensive provisions for the children allegedly found to be in conflict with law as well as those in need of care and protection.