SC irked over Centre's reply on monitoring of ICPS

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday expressed its anger over the Centre's reply on issues including monitoring mechanism of Integrated Child Protection Schemes (ICPS), meant to improve conditions of children observation homes and Juvenile Justice boards across the country.

"You (Ministry of Women and Child Development) have to start working at some point. Enough is enough," the social justice bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and U U Lalit said.

It also asked the ministry to consult experts and formulate road map for implementation of welfare schemes postulated under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

The law requires a review of issues concerning "setting up of the Juvenile Justice Boards, establishment of the Child Welfare Committees, establishment of Special Juvenile Police Unit, functioning of child care institutions and functioning of adoption agencies."

Earlier, the court had asked the Centre to file an affidavit "indicating the monitoring mechanism proposed under the ICPS and the methodology that will be required for carrying out the concurrent monitoring audit under the ICPS."

"This is just a paper work. The work should get reflected on ground. You (Centre) just say that we will do this, we will do that, but don't do anything," the bench said.

"You are the one who had framed the law. Either enforce it or scrap it," it said, adding, "the government is good at working out plans but you are not good at implementation," it said.

The bench is hearing a 2007 PIL on various issues concerning welfare of children across the country.

During the earlier hearing, the court had rapped the Centre for not conducting statutory "social audit" of funds disbursed to states under ICPS.

"We are extremely shocked at this disclosure made on Friday by the Additional Solicitor General. The Rules came into operation some time in 2007 and what is stated before us is that not even a single social audit has been conducted in the last seven years.

"Rule 64 of the Rules postulates the central government or the state government shall monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act on an annual basis," it had said.