SC extends time limit for making creche facility functional

The Supreme Court today extended the deadline for making operational the creche facility on its premises and asked its Registry to complete the work by April 30.

A bench comprising justices Ranjan Gogoi and R Banumathi also directed the stakeholders and the officials concerned of the Registry to sit together to decide the issue of maintaining a regular kitchen and providing an alternative entry to the creche and submit a report within seven days.

"Insofar as the issue with regard to modalities, such as, age of children to be admitted; fees to be charged, number of employees; qualification of employees, question of health-care/hygiene, food, etc are concerned, the counsels appearing for stakeholders will sit with the officials of the Registry of this Court and try and evolve an acceptable set of modalities that would govern the Creche in the future," the bench said.
 

The top court said this matter will come again for consideration of the suggestions and deliberations on the issues on March 15.

The apex court on November 9 last year had directed Secretary General of the Registry to complete all the civil, electrical and connected works in the area earmarked for the creche be completed within a period of three months and make it operational with effect from March 1, 2018.

The matter pertains to a PIL filed by advocate Anindita Pujari who had sought more facility like separate rooms so that more children could be kept there by working parents.

Earlier, the apex court had said that the creche service in the court premises was inadequate while asking the registry to see whether there was any prospect for expanding its service within the available infrastructure.

The bench, however, had said no room facility could be provided and asked senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for the apex court registry, to take instructions on various aspects of expanding the services and payment of wages to additional nurses who would take care of children.

It had decided to halve the fee for the service, after it faced criticism for exorbitant fee for the facility, from Rs 5,000 to Rs 2,500 per month.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising, the petitioner's counsel, had contended that the fee structure was discouraging many working parents from taking the services of the child care unit.