268 cases pending with child rights panel in Karnataka

Forty-seven cases related to the Right to Education (RTE) are pending before the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KCPCR) since April 2022.

According to the data provided by the Commission, a total of 268 cases related to various crimes against children were pending between April 2022 to January 2023. Among them, 71 were related to schools and 47, especially to RTE.

However, when looking at the data, a majority of the cases pending at KCPCR were the ones filed in 2022. “When it comes to RTE, most complaints are related to demanding fees from kids admitted under RTE quota, discriminating between RTE students and other students,” said an official of the Commission.

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Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, K Naganna Gowda, chairperson of the Commission, said, “We are putting efforts to dispose of the pending cases and we have also registered suo motu cases based on the media reports.”

He explained that no fresh Pocso cases were received in January this year and the Commission has disposed two Pocso cases out of the 19 registered in the previous year. Even the child marriage and child labour cases are zero in January, he said.

“The Commission is committed to the protection of the rights of the children and we have recently written letters to all DCs to issue directions to all officials concerned at the district level to implement the recommendations of the Commission,” Naganna Gowda said.