High Court to frame rules for police to handle juvenile cases

CHENNAI: A division bench of the Madras High Court directed several departments of the State government to file detailed affidavits for framing rules and guidelines for the police to handle juvenile-related cases.

The court also has appointed amicus curiae to assist the court in drafting the rules and guidelines to draft guidelines. Heading the bench along with Justice RMT Teekaa Raman, Justice PN Prakash passed the direction on hearing the petition filed by a minor girl’s father from Chidambaram.

The bench appointed advocate EV Chandru as amicus curiae and directed him to assist the court by filing an affidavit within two weeks with the earlier rulings of the Supreme Court in connection with the juvenile-related cases.

The judges also asked the State Home, Health, Social Welfare, and Women Empowerment departments to file their affidavits to draft the guidelines.

The judges passed the direction when the girl’s father filed an affidavit to send her minor daughter back home from the children’s home. Recently, a boy was arrested in Chidambaram for tying a Mangal Sutra for a girl in broad daylight. The police arrested the boy and sent the girl to a government shelter.

When the matter came before the judges, they observed that the police should not have arrested the boy as per the law they are empowered to arrest juveniles if they (juveniles) commit an offense punishable by seven years of rigorous imprisonment.