Karnataka child rights body without full-time head for 8 months now

For more than eight months now, the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has remained without a full-time head.

As a result, cases being heard by the Commission have piled up and more than 1,200 cases are pending before it.

Now, however, the race for the top post of the statutory body has heated up with more than 50 applications/recommendations for the post of chairman and members of the Commission.

The three-year term of the previous chairperson Dr Anthony Sebastian ended on December 4 last year, after which Jayashree, one of the six members of the Commission, was appointed acting chairman.

The term of the members too ended a month and a half ago, due to which the Commission was technically non-existent.

According to sources in the women and child development department, applications were invited for the post of new chairman in February this year with a month’s time for eligible candidates to apply. Similarly, applications for six member posts were invited in July this year.

“Around 90 applications were received for member posts. Of the applications received for the post of chairman, four to five were sent to the government to finalise the appointment,” an official said.

Those who have sought to head the Commission include Jayashree, Vasudev Sharma of Child Rights Trust and education expert V P Niranjanaradhya.

The Commission was first set up in 2007 as per the provisions of the Protection of Child Rights Act 2005, with Neena Nayak as its chairperson.

H R Umesh Aradhya was the second head of the body, after which Krupa Alva was appointed.

Halappa Achar, Women and Child Development Minister, said that the department had received a large number of applications for the post of chairperson.

“We will appoint the head as soon as possible without succumbing to any pressure,” Achar said.