Justice Vibha Kankanwadi and Justice Sanjay Deshmukh, Bombay High Court
Bombay High Court Takes Suo Motu Cognizance Of Abuse Allegations At Unlicensed Children’s Home
|The suo motu action was triggered when nine minor girls escaped from the children’s home.
The Bombay High Court took suo motu cognizance of serious allegations concerning the ill-treatment of minor girls at the Vidyadeep Children’s Home located in the Cantonment area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, following the escape of nine girls from the facility.
A Division Bench of Justice Vibha Kankanwadi and Justice Sanjay Deshmukh observed, “After taking note of all these newspaper cuttings, it appears that the authorities are moving at a snail speed, may be with an intention to subside the burning issue. When the girls have taken such step and even tried to lodge the reports, it appears that they have not been allowed. Of course, this is our prima facie impression. The police authorities ought to have lodged the FIR when the minor citizens are subjected to some harassment or cruelty.”
Public Prosecutor A.B. Girase appeared for the Respondent.
Background
The suo motu action was triggered by a grave incident on July 1, when nine minor girls escaped from the children’s home. According to reports, they damaged property and fled into city streets armed with sticks and iron rods, eventually being apprehended near Bhagwan Mahavir Chowk while trying to reach out to the District Legal Services Authority.
Upon reviewing media reports and police statements, the Court was informed that the girls had faced harassment and intrusive surveillance within the institution. Among the more troubling allegations were the installation of CCTV cameras in their common room, reportedly under the pretext of compliance with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act). The girls had objected to this surveillance and allegedly damaged the cameras during their escape.
It was also brought to light that pregnancy tests were routinely administered whenever the girls complained of stomach aches, raising serious ethical and legal questions. Furthermore, staff reportedly restricted the children’s access to visitors, warning them of brief visits under constant watch, which the Court noted could have been used as a means of coercion or tutoring prior to inspections.
Findings
After reviewing the statements recorded by police on July 3 and 4, the Bench expressed its shock and said, “We are really shocked with the treatment that was given and also the complaints those were made in respect of the Child Welfare Committee also. With a broad object the Child Welfare Committees have been established and they are supposed to act in the interest of the children in need of care and protection.”
The Court raised serious concerns about the authorities’ inaction it said, “Still the question remains that in spite of recording these statements on 3rd July 2025 and 4th July 2025, why the FIR was not registered. The possibility of destruction of evidence then cannot be ruled out and therefore, we have decided to take suo-motu cognizance of the entire episode.”
The Bench also took cognizance of the fact that the Vidyadeep Children’s Home had been operating without a valid license since May 5, 2025. The Court added, "It appears that those 80 girls have been allowed to be kept in Vidyadeep Home without any authorization and prima facie we may observe that it was the job of the Child Welfare Committee to see that the safe environment is made available to such girls. Learned Public Prosecutor submits that he would place on record all those facts relating to this, upon getting compete instructions."
Taking the grave nature of the allegations into account, the Court ordered the matter to be registered as a public interest litigation (PIL). It appointed Senior Advocate P.R. Katneshwarkar as amicus curiae to assist the Bench in further proceedings.
The Court also granted liberty to the Public Prosecutor to submit any additional documents and records from the police and child welfare departments relevant to the case. Emphasizing that the matter is non-adversarial and relates to the welfare and protection of vulnerable children, the Court directed that full cooperation be extended to the amicus by all government departments.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on July 14, 2025.
Cause Title: The Registrar (Judicial), High Court of Judicature at Bombay v. State of Maharashtra & Ors.