GOVT MUST STOP ILLEGAL ADOPTION OF ORPHANED CHILDREN, SAYS SC

The Supreme Court has directed states and Union Territories to stop illegal adoption of children who were orphaned or abandoned during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Passing a slew of directions on a suo motu petition with regard to protection of rights of children affected by the pandemic, a bench of justices L Nageswara Rao and Aniruddha Bose said, “The state governments/union Territories are directed to take action against those Ngos/individuals who are indulging in illegal adoptions.”

The court was informed about adoption posts circulating on social media platforms amid the pandemic that saw several children lose either one or both their parents. The problem of illegal adoption was brought to the attention of the court by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

The bench directed all states/ UTS to prevent any NGO from collecting funds in the names of affected children by disclosing their identity and inviting interested persons to adopt them. “Stringent action shall be taken by the state governments/union Territories against agencies/individuals who are responsible for indulging in this illegal activity. Invitation to persons for adoption of orphans is contrary to law as no adoption of a child can be permitted without the involvement of Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA),” it said.