State Level JJ Consultation to explore the possible ways of effective implementation of the JJ Act, 2015

Cuttack (Kalinga Voice) : To explore the possible ways of effective implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2015 a one day State Level Consultation has been organized by Women and Child Development Department, Government of Odisha and the UNICEF under the aegis of the High Court of Orissa in the auditorium of Odisha Judicial Academy.
The Consultation was inaugurated in virtual mode on 26th August,2023 by Justice Subhasis Talapatra, Chief Justice, High Court of Orissa in the presence of Justice Debabrata Dash, Judge, High Court of Orissa and Chairperson, Juvenile Justice Committee, High Court of Orissa, Judges of the High Court of Orissa and Mr. William Hanlon Jr, Chief of Field Office for Odisha, UNICEF.

In the inaugural session Justice Debabrata Dash, Judge and Chairperson, Juvenile Justice Committee, High Court of Orissa, delivering the welcome address, highlighted the objective of the consultation and said such deliberations would lead to effective solutions for children in conflict with law and in need of care and protection. He emphasized on prompt response to the problems involving children and highlighted the importance of pro- activeness of all the stakeholders.
Mr. William Hanlon Jr, Chief of Field Office for Odisha, UNICEF emphasized on the need of diversion from traditional methods and discussed on prevention, non-custodial alternatives, rehabilitation and restorative practices and right of children to fair trial. He stressed upon the need of counseling and psycho-social support to the deprived children and said UNICEF is committed to the cause of child care.
Speaking on the occasion Mr. Keshav Kumar, IPS (Retd.) shared his experience as a police officer in cases involving children in conflict with law.

Smt. Mandakinee Kar, Chairperson of Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights informed the role of State Commission in effective implementation of the Juvenile Justice Legislation.
Speaking on the occasion Chief Justice Subhasis Talapatra flagged the issue of care to children and justice to children in conflict with law. He deprecated the practice of interrogation in cases involving children in conflict with law and said instead of interrogation the investigating agencies should have conversation with the children. The Chief Justice urged the Judicial Officers and the functionaries under the Juvenile Justice Legislature to be sensitive in dealing with the children. He emphasized on
the need of homely environment for the children in conflict with law instead of custodial measures.

Extending vote of thanks Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo, Judge, High Court of Orissa and Member, Juvenile Justice Committee, High Court of Orissa said we need to nurture the children for a better society.
The Consultation was attended by the Principal Magistrates of
Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs), Secretaries of District Legal Services Authorities, representatives of SJPUs, the DCPOs and Superintendents of Observation Homes, OSCPS, representatives of W & CD and UNICEF, NGOs and members from Civil Society Organizations also attended the consultation.

The first technical session was chaired by Justice Savitri Ratho Judge, High Court of Orissa & Member, Juvenile Justice Committee, High Court of Orissa. Mr. Manna Biswas, Child Protection Specialist discussed on the facts leading the children to come in conflict with law and the importance of prevention and intervention reducing recidivism among children. Smt. Shyni S, I.G.P (Training), Biju Patnaik State Police Academy, Odisha spoke about the collective approaches to prevention of crimes and the role of training institutions and academies for the duty bearers. Mr. Lingraj Panda, Director, ICDS, Department of W & CD, Government of Odisha shared the experience in Odisha in preventing children from coming in conflict with law and the recent initiatives taken in the direction and also reflected on the challenges.
The second technical session was chaired by Justice Sangam KumarSahoo, Judge, High Court of Orissa & Member, Juvenile Justice Committee, High Court of Orissa. Ms. Nimisha Srivastava, Country Director, Counsel to Secure Justice discussed on the current initiatives in dealing with the issues relating to juveniles. Mr. Shefeen Ahamed K, IG of Police, CID-CB, Odisha, Cuttack reflected on the possible alternatives to detention of juveniles in conflict with law.

The third technical session chaired by Justice Murahari Sri Raman, Judge, High Court of Orissa & Member, Juvenile Justice Committee, High Court of Orissa. Dr. Kalpana Purushothaman, Adjunct Prof. at IIPR & Member, JJB, Bangalore discussed on the need of child friendly JJBs and their role in rehabilitation and prevention programmes. Mr. Keshav Kumar, IPS (Retd.) discussed on the methods of investigation with regard to children, the ideal manner of interaction with them and use of scientific tools in investigation. Mr. Sudipta Acharya, Member Secretary, OSLSA informed about the legal-aid provisions for childrens in conflict with law in Odisha and shared the experiences and challenges.

The fourth technical session chaired by Justice Murahari Sri Raman, Judge, High Court of Orissa & Member, Juvenile Justice Committee, High Court of Orissa. Dr. Kalpana Purushothaman, Adjunct Prof. at IIPR & Member, JJB, Bangalore and Mr. Shyam Sundar Dash, Director, Public Prosecutions discussed on the legal provisions regarding minimum age of criminal responsibility and spoke about preliminary assessment regarding age of criminal majority provided under the statute.

The fifth technical session chaired by Mr. Manna Biswas, Child Protection Specialist. Ms. Nimisha Srivastava, Country Director, Counsel to Secure Justice reflected on the rehabilitation and restorative practices in various parts of the world. Ms. Sachi Maniar, Ashiyana Foundation shared the experience of her NGO and other child care institutions in dealing with rehabilitation and restoration. Mr. Lingraj Panda, Director, ICDS, Department of W & CD, Government of Odisha shared the experience in Odisha in rehabilitation of children in conflicts with law and also reflects the challenges and the way forward.
The State Level Consultation ended with a Valedictory Session where Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo made the concluding remarks on the deliberations made by various speakers and stakeholders.