Chennai: The Madras high court on Friday directed the registry to take steps to issue a bailable warrant for the production of Manikandan, chairman of the Child Welfare Committee in Chengalpattu, for not obeying the orders of the court and not appearing before the court, in spite of the directions given to him on various occasions.
When Justice M. Duraiswamy gave the directive, senior counsel S.V. Jayaraman appearing for Manikandan, submitted that Manikandan would appear before the court on November 13 without fail. “In view of the submission made by the senior counsel, the registry is directed to execute the warrant after November 14”, the judge added and posted to November 13, further hearing on the contempt petition filed by Franciscan Sisters of St Joseph.
Originally, on a petition filed by Franciscan Sisters of St Joseph, the judge had directed the CWC chairman to hand over the custody of five children, who were removed from children home in St Thomas Mount, run by the petitioner society, to the society. As this order was not obeyed by the CWC Chairman, the society filed the present contempt petition. In spite of a number of adjournments since August, the CWC Chairman neither appeared before the court nor complied with the directions of the court. Finally, when it came up for hearing on Friday, a member of the CWC, who was present in the court, informed the judge that the CWC chairman was unwell. Following this, the judge gave the above directive.
According to petitioner, the society had established the “Assisi Illam” in Nethaji Nagar in St Thomas Mount, a home for orphans and destitute in 2005. The five children in question had been given care and care and affection and good education. Since the authorities had raised the demands on staff and other requirements, besides to upgrade infrastructure, the society decided to close the home and requested the CWC to permit it to transfer the five children to its Illam on Magazine Road in St Thomas Mount. The district child protection officer had also recommended the same. While so, the CWC had issued a showcause notice asking as to why it had not informed the government about accepting the 5 children in 2005 and 2006 after the enactment of the Juvenile Justice Act.
The society explained the background circumstances under which the children came under its care and protection. However, the CWC had lodged a complaint with the police that the Assisi Illam in Nethaji Nagar was an unregistered home and the children were in illegal custody. The children were forcibly removed from the home, the petitioner added.
