Under the guidance and patronage of Chief Patron of the J&K State Judicial Academy, Justice N Paul Vasantha Kumar, Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Committee on Juvenile Justice comprising Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, Chairperson, Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey, Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur, members of the Committee, Jammu & Kashmir State Judicial Academy in collaboration with UNICEF India Country Office, organized two day workshop for Principal Magistrates of Juvenile Justice Boards under J&K Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2013 and Designated Nodal Officers for implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act and Rules in the Police Department along with Police Officers who are Incharge of Special Juvenile Police Units of Jammu province at Jammu.The workshop was inaugurated by Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar, Judge, High Court of Jammu and Kashmir (Chairperson, Committee on Juvenile Justice) in presence of Justice Alok Aradhe, Judge, High Court of Jammu and Kashmir, Justice Ali Mohammad Magray, Judge High Court of J&K (Member, Committee on Juvenile Justice) and Jehangir Iqbal Ganie, Learned Advocate General, Jammu and Kashmir.
Abdul Rashid Malik, Director, J&K State Judicial Academy, conducted the proceedings of the workshop. Director, State Judicial Academy said that the objective of the workshop is to sensitize the Judicial Officers on Juvenile Justice system and their role as Principal Magistrates of Juvenile Justice Boards while dealing with the children in conflict with law. He highlighted that the Juvenile Justice Act takes care not only of the children in conflict with law but all the children in need of care and protection. He expressed that the underlying object of the workshop is to sensitize the Judicial Officers that the centre of interest in the Juvenile Court is always the Juvenile and his welfare. The event will give an opportunity to the participants to explore and highlight the key components of Juvenile Justice system.Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar emphasized the need for setting up of Juvenile Justice Boards and Child Welfare Committees to deal with the issues concerning children. He said that corruption affects all sections of society but women and children are the worst victims. It is our duty to ensure that our children do not commit crimes out of poverty and deprivation because they are assets for the nation, he maintained. The Juvenile Justice Boards and Child Welfare Committees are the soul of the Juvenile Justice system and in absence of such bodies, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice System faces a serious challenge.
Jehangir Iqbal Ganie, assured the Chairman, Juvenile Justice Committee and the Judicial Officers that all possibilities would be explored to constitute the Juvenile Justice Boards and Child Welfare Committees so that the benefit of the Juvenile Justice Act and the rules reaches out to the children in conflict with law.Justice Alok Aradhe highlighted that our Constitution mandates us to work for the welfare of the children that is why special provisions have been made by the Constitutional framers for the welfare of the children. The Juvenile Justice Act is a welfare legislation which not only deals with the children in conflict with law but also the children in need of care and protection. But in absence of Juvenile Justice Boards, it is very difficult for the Principal Magistrates to address the special needs of children in conflict with law, he added.Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey highlighted that the Juvenile Justice Act contains safeguards and protection for both the juvenile in conflict with law and the child in need of care and protection. He expressed hope that the workshop will help the Judicial Officers to understand the Juvenile Justice System in a better way so as to implement the provisions of the Act in its letter and spirit.