Select CWC members with utmost care: HC

Kochi: The high court has stated that utmost care must be taken in selecting members of the child welfare committee (CWC), as the Juvenile Justice Act serves primarily as a protective mechanism for vulnerable children rather than merely a legal framework.The selection authority must prioritize candidates with genuine, direct experience in child protection, whether through social work, psychology, rehabilitation programmes, or law enforcement, the court added. The bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice S Manu made these observations while setting aside the appointment of Alan M Alexander of Kollam as a member of CWC, Kollam, citing his lack of mandatory experience and educational qualifications. The bench issued the order on an appeal filed by C Krishnan Kutty Nair of Kollam, who was ranked first on the waiting list for CWC members. The court also directed the state govt to appoint Nair as a member of the committee within a week.In his petition, Nair alleged that Alexander lacked the mandatory seven years of experience in areas related to child welfare and that his work as a project director was in a private limited company engaged in medical tourism, which had no connection to child development or welfare. Previously, a single bench had dismissed Nair's petition, stating that judicial intervention in selection matters was limited. This prompted Nair to file an appeal.The division bench noted that Nair possessed the requisite educational qualifications. Additionally, he had 28 years of experience in the social justice department, including 10 years in the child development office under the integrated child development scheme (ICDS).