SC Expresses Anguish Over Tussle Between Child Rights Commissions Of Centre And West Bengal

Expressing anguish over the tussle between the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBPCR) in a child trafficking case in West Bengal, the Supreme Court on Tuesday said " it is sad that both of you can't come to a conclusion for the welfare of the poor girls."

A bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose observed : " It is very unfortunate that two statutory bodies are fighting like this."

"We are not bothered about Centre or State Commission but bothered about the poor girls," Justice Gupta said and posted the matter to decide tomorrow.

The Bench was hearing NCPCR's petition against Calcutta High Court's August 29, 2017 order restraining it from intervening into the trafficking case.

For State commission, Senior Advocate Indira Jaising appeared and Advocate Anandita Pujari appeared for NCPCR.

According to NCPCR, following a news item an orphanage in Jalpaiguri where children were being sold away or trafficked, the Commission had written to Rajesh Kumar, then Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), CID, West Bengal Police to ascertain the facts.

The officer had approached the Calcutta HC to restrain the NCPCR as the same was already being monitored by the State Commission.

After the HC order, the apex child rights protection body had moved SC for vacating the order of August 29, 2017 passed by the HC.

Earlier in January 2018, the top court had stayed the HC order while expanding the issue to all other States.