Kerala Govt to Deposit Rs 2 Lakh for Juvenile Justice — But Not Out of Choice
Kerala Govt to Deposit Rs 2 Lakh for Juvenile Justice — But Not Out of Choice
The Supreme Court said that the state should deposit the money with the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee. "The aforesaid amount shall be utilised for juvenile justice issues," stated the similarly-worded orders

New Delhi: The Kerala government will very soon contribute Rs 2 lakh for the juvenile justice schemes. But the twist in the tale is that this contribution may not be a sign of magnanimity of the Pinarayi Vijayan-government at all.

The benefaction for the social welfare cause has come by virtue of the Supreme Court orders, slapping penalty of Rs 2 lakh on the Kerala government.

A bench, headed by Justice Madan B Lokur, has imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each in two separate orders on the state government, and ordered that the money should be used for juvenile justice schemes.

The court said that the state should deposit the money with the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee. "The aforesaid amount shall be utilised for juvenile justice issues," stated the similarly-worded orders.

In the first case, the cost was imposed on the state government after it challenged an order of the Kerala High Court relating to grant of pay scale and pension benefits to college the teachers.

The bench noted that at least two similar cases on the same issue had already been dismissed by the court, but nonetheless the state filed yet another appeal.

Questioning the manner in which the cases were being filed in the Supreme Court, the bench said: "The State of Kerala should have a re-look at its litigation policy, if any."

The second case in which the state government was hauled up related to grant of no objection certificates to private schools in the state.

Kerala government had filed its appeal against the High Court order in 2012 whereby relief was granted to the private schools.

The notices in the case were issued in 2013 and the state government was supposed to filed its response affidavit. However, more than a year elapsed, but Kerala government did not do so.

When the case came up recently, the bench was irate over the lackadaisical attitude.

The bench then passed the order: "No affidavit has been filed by the State of Kerala for the last one year and only adjournments have been sought. We grant the adjournment subject to payment of cost of Rs 1 lakh only to be deposited with the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee within one week. The aforesaid amount shall be utilised for juvenile justice issues."

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