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CIC: NCPCR must monitor action on child-abuse complaints, not just forward

By CAShorts DeskPublished Sources: Hindustan Times (agency feed); NCPCR (CPCR Act, 2005); rti.gov.in (RTI Act, 2005)

CIC: NCPCR must monitor action on child-abuse complaints, not just forward
Illustration (AI-generated)

The Central Information Commission has said the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights cannot merely forward child-abuse complaints and await replies; it must monitor the action taken. The case was an RTI appeal on alleged abuse of hearing- and speech-impaired children at a Gulbarga school. The NCPCR must now share any inspection or inquiry reports, or say none exist.

Syllabus: GS2 · Statutory & Regulatory Bodies; GS2 · Welfare of Vulnerable Sections; GS2 · Governance & e-Governance

Why this matters for UPSC

GS2 covers bodies set up to protect vulnerable sections and transparency in governance. Prelims can ask the NCPCR's powers under the CPCR Act, 2005 and the CIC's appeal powers under the RTI Act, 2005; Mains, whether such watchdogs follow up complaints.

Why it matters

A parent who reports cruelty at a school expects the child-rights body to find out what happened. If the complaint is only passed to a district office and left there, the children stay in the same classroom with the same staff while letters go back and forth. Children with hearing and speech disabilities are among the least able to speak up for themselves, so a watchdog's follow-up is often their only protection. The order also shows a citizen how to test whether a complaint went anywhere: ask, under the transparency law, for the inspection and inquiry records. The larger issue is that commissions with strong powers on paper can still fail children through slow, paper-only follow-up.

Prelims pointers

  • CPCR Act, 2005, Section 3: the NCPCR has a Chairperson and six Members, at least two of them women; its office is at Delhi.
  • CPCR Act, Section 4: the NCPCR Chairperson is appointed on the recommendation of a three-member committee chaired by the Minister in charge of Women and Child Development.
  • CPCR Act, Section 5: NCPCR members serve three-year terms, at most two terms; age limits are 65 for the Chairperson, 60 for Members.
  • CPCR Act, Section 15: after an inquiry the NCPCR may recommend prosecution, approach the Supreme Court or a High Court, or recommend interim relief.
  • CPCR Act, Section 25: a State Government, with the High Court Chief Justice's concurrence, specifies Children's Courts for speedy trial of offences against children.
  • RTI Act, Section 7(1): information is due within 30 days of a request, and within 48 hours when it concerns a person's life or liberty.
  • RTI Act, Section 12(3): the President appoints Information Commissioners on the recommendation of the Prime Minister (chair), the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition and a nominated Union Cabinet Minister.
  • RTI Act, Section 20: the CIC may fine a Public Information Officer Rs 250 a day, up to Rs 25,000, for unreasonable delay or denial.

Practise a UPSC-style question

With reference to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, consider the following statements:

1. Its Chairperson is appointed on the recommendation of a selection committee chaired by the Prime Minister.

2. It is a statutory body constituted under the Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005.

3. At least two of its six Members must be women.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a) 1 and 2 only
  2. (b) 2 and 3 only
  3. (c) 1 and 3 only
  4. (d) 1, 2 and 3
Show the answer

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only

Answer: (b) 2 and 3 only. The commission is statutory and has a gender rule, but its selection panel is led by a minister, not the Prime Minister.

Statement 1: incorrect. Section 4 of the CPCR Act, 2005 has a three-member committee chaired by the Minister in charge of Women and Child Development.

Statement 2: correct. Section 3 of the CPCR Act, 2005 constitutes the NCPCR; it is statutory, not constitutional.

Statement 3: correct. Section 3(2) provides six Members besides the Chairperson, at least two of them women.

Eliminate: Be sure of statement 1 first: the Prime Minister chairs the RTI selection panel, not this one, so it is incorrect. Out: (a), (c), (d).

Trap: Swapped attribution. The Prime Minister-led panel that picks Information Commissioners is pinned on the child-rights commission.

Remember: NCPCR Chairperson: picked by a panel under the Women and Child Development Minister.

Explainers on this topic

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