The Patna High Court has recently dismissed a petition filed by a resident of Begusarai, Bihar, seeking to restrain the respondents from shifting the children’s home at Begusarai to Jamui.
The petitioner’s sole contention was that the decision to shift the home was unilateral.
However, upon examining the petition, the court found that it failed to indicate how the shifting of the children’s home would affect the beneficiaries, namely the children housed in the home.
A counter-affidavit filed by the Deputy Director, Social Welfare Department, revealed that the decision to shift the home was made considering the unhygienic and deplorable conditions at the existing facility. The shift aimed to provide better facilities and environment for the inmates.
The bench of Chief Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice Partha Sarthy noted that the Bihar government had initiated a new project, Vrihad Ashray Grih, with constructions carried out in different districts at a cost of Rs. 29.71 crore.
This initiative aimed to improve the living conditions of children in child care homes.
Furthermore, the court observed that children’s homes can only be established after obtaining certification from the authority under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
Given the lack of merit in the petition, the Patna High Court dismissed it, finding no reason to entertain the petition.