New Delhi: Taking strong exception to a delay of two and a half years in filling vacancies at Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR), the high court on Wednesday warned of consequences if the posts were not filled by mid-April. “Keep progressing at a snail’s pace and scrap the (DCPCR) Act,” a bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and justice Tejas Karia said as it reprimanded Delhi govt for “attempting to justify” the delay. “From July 2023 to Feb 2026, you took time and then justified that it was essential for maintaining transparency in the selection process… More than one year elapsed, and you tried to justify it,” the bench told the counsel for the govt, and observed that it was at a “complete loss of words” over the authorities’ failure. The court’s criticism came after the govt claimed that the process of appointing the chairperson and members was likely to conclude by the second week of April. The govt counsel assured the court that the matter was “progressing” and that the second week of April was the “outer limit”. If such a long period was essential to maintain fairness, and to ensure that the most suitable candidates were appointed, the HC noted, the state govt would have to rethink. “We caution that, in case the process is not completed, as stated by the govt, the matter will be viewed seriously. We hope and expect that the statement made in the affidavit shall be honoured,” thecourt observed, underlining that the delay in appointments belied the legislative mandate. Counsel appearing for one of the petitioners highlighted that DCPCR was also entrusted with the task of monitoring the implementation of the POCSO Act and the Juvenile Justice Act. Advocate Prabhsahay Kaur further highlighted data on missing children, saying 12 children went missing every day in the capital between Jan 1 and 15, and submitted that the DCPCR had a robust system of volunteers, ex-army men, and teachers who were involved in such cases to assist the police and the public. “All such projects have fallen flat. For the past three years, there has been no one monitoring the govt in the implementation of these Acts. It suits everyone. The situation is very unfortunate. People have nowhere to go,” she contended. In the petition filed in 2024, National Child Development Council said that keeping the posts vacant for so long was a violation of the provisions of the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights Rules.
