Srinagar, May 13 -- Hearing a Public Interest Litigation, a division bench of Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal observed that despite repeated orders passed by the Court, the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, in terms of Section 44 of the Protection of the Child from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, has not been constituted. Subsequently, requested the Secretary to the Government, Social Welfare Department, to appear before it. Accordingly, Sanjeev Verma, Secretary, SWD joined the proceedings virtually.

The court interacted with him at length, and he fairly admitted that although the advertisement to select and appoint the members, as also the Chairperson of the Commission, was issued way back in June 2023, the ...