Panaji: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has appointed a child psychologist to counsel four children and supervise their interaction with their families after observing that they are severely traumatised and have not met their parents since being placed in child care on May 13.
The direction was issued during the hearing of a case relating to child begging.
A report submitted by the legal aid advocate stated that the children were highly traumatised and had reached a stage where they were unwilling to interact with anyone.
The court noted that their condition had worsened because they had no communication with their parents for over six weeks and faced a significant language barrier that had affected their care.
“Under these circumstances, we are compelled to appoint a child psychologist for the purpose of interviewing these children and supervising interaction with their parents, families or members of their community, with a view to complete the children’s reintegration,” the High Court stated.
The court observed that under Section 31 and Rules 18(4) and 19(4) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, the Child Welfare Committee is required to prepare a rehabilitation and restoration report within 24 hours of a child being produced before it. It noted that the continuing trauma suggested these statutory safeguards had proved insufficient in this case.
The petitioner is Adv Moses Pinto.
The High Court appointed Dr Anuradha Kakodkar, retired Professor of Psychology, as child counsellor. She will supervise interactions between the children and their families at the Mediation Centre in Merces.
The court noted that as Apna Ghar has only one psychologist, an external expert from the court’s panel was required considering the urgency of the matter.
