Supreme Court to host national consultation on decade of Juvenile Justice Act
The Supreme Court will conduct a two-day national consultation on October 10–11, 2026, to assess a decade of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. The event, organised by the Supreme Court's Juvenile Justice Committee with UNICEF India, will examine progress, challenges, and priorities for strengthening juvenile justice and child protection systems.
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant will inaugurate the consultation. Justice B.V. Nagarathna, Chairperson of the Juvenile Justice Committee, and Cynthia McCaffrey, Country Representative of UNICEF India, will deliver remarks. The CJI will also release a compendium of landmark Supreme Court and High Court judgments on the Act spanning 2015 to September 2026.
Deliberations will cover rights of children in conflict with law, preliminary assessment in heinous offences, adoption, institutional care, and rehabilitation. The consultation will address implementation challenges across states and union territories. A valedictory session on October 11 will include remarks from UNICEF India and the Ministry of Women and Child Development, with closing comments from Justice J.B. Pardiwala, Member of the Juvenile Justice Committee.
