Centre wants judges to be sensitised on adoption laws

A Madras High Court judge's order asking a couple who wanted to adopt a child to donate Rs one lakh to a government school has made the Centre sit up and take note.
It is now mulling approaching the Chief Justice of India to request him to sensitise the judges on the adoption laws so that they do not give directions which are beyond their ambit.
In his order, Justice K Kalyansundaram has given petitioners two weeks to deposit the money in a particular branch of a public sector bank.
"That the petitioners herein shall donate a sum of Rs 1,00,000 to the School Management Committee, Govt Girls Higher Secondary School, Acharapakkam PO, State Bank of India, Acharapakkam-603301 within a period of two weeks from this date i.E. On or before 16-02-2017.

"That subject to the condition as mentioned above the petitioners are hereby appointed as adoptive parents of the minor child," reads the order.
Sister Philo Mary from Holy Apostles Convent, an adoption agency where the minor was placed, said they will be seeking a relook into the order dated February 3, 2017.

The apex body for adoption- Central Adoption Resource Authority- is also writing to the Registrar of Madras High Court requesting that the judge review the order.
Following this, the Ministry of Women and Child Development is planning to write to the Chief Justice of India underlining the need to sensitise judges in matters of adoption.

"Courts are going beyond the scope of JJ Act and have imposed several conditions which are not in the best interest of the children and adoptive parents," according to the draft of the letter.