The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Of the very young behind bars

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Monday, Jun 30, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Of the very young behind bars

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: The right of a child not to be arrested and sent to prison even under judicial custody is not recognised in our country.

Raising legal and ethical questions on the issue was a meeting with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Child Rights Trust and South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring (SICHREM) and others with the Karnataka Legal Services Authority at Nyaya Degula, Legal Services Authority on Siddaiah Road.

Present at the meeting were parents of children in prison with a battery of questions ranging from the release of child on bail to the conditions of the children in prison.

This meeting arose from the visits of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), Bangalore to the Bangalore Parappana Agrahara Prison, where according to the CWC, 150 children, below 18 years are lodged under judicial custody on various charges. The matter was discussed with the Inspector General of Prisons, the police, judiciary and the Juvenile Justice Board.

A few NGOs have taken the matter to the State Human Rights Commission, which in turn made visits to the prison and instructed the authorities concerned to take the required action to help the children get justice at the earliest.

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Karnataka