Child adoption process in India 'very tedious', needs to be streamlined: SC

The Supreme Court on Friday said child adoption process in India is very tedious and that there is an urgent need for the procedures to be streamlinedA bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and JB Pardiwala asked Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj appearing for the Centre to file its response to a PIL detailing steps to streamline the process of adoption of children in the countryThe reason we have issued notice on the PIL is that the process of child adoption is very tedious in India The Central Adoption Resource Authority CARA has an annual capacity of 2000 adoptions which has now increased to 4000 There are three crore children who are orphans in this country There is an urgent need for the process to be streamlined the bench observedAlso Read Mother being natural guardian of child has right to decide surname Supreme CourtThe court asked Nataraj to consider the suggestions of the PIL petitioner The Temple of Healing and file a response about the steps taken to streamline the processThe ASG said he does not know about the credibility of the NGO and that a copy of the petition has not been served upon himThe bench said it was also earlier apprehensive about the intention of the NGO but when it came to know about Piyush Saxena appearing for the NGO and who has left his job in a big corporate firm to pursue the cause it had issued noticeIt asked Saxena to give a copy of the petition to Nataraj so that he can file his response and posted the matter after three weeksOn April 11 the top court had agreed to hear the plea seeking to simplify the legal process for child adoption in India saying only 4000 adoptions take place annually in the countryIt had issued notice to the Centre after Saxena appearing for the NGO said he had made several representations to the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development for simplifying the process of child adoption but nothing has happened till nowSaxena had submitted that as per the data available in the public domain there are only 4000 child adoptions annually but till last year there were three crore orphaned children in the country There are several infertile couples who are willing to have a child he addedLast year during the pandemic the ministry issued a notification that relaxed the norms but this could be done on a regular basis he saidThe top court had questioned Saxena to say he represents an organisation and what does it have to do with the adoption processI am the secretary in the The Temple of Healing and we dont accept a donation or charge any money and provide treatment of various ailments through naturopathy Saxena said adding that Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System may appoint a few trained adoption preparers on the lines of Income Tax preparer scheme of 2006He said they can help prospective parents to complete the cumbersome paperwork required for adoptionSaxena further submitted that there is also an anomaly on the legislature front as adoption is being governed by the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act of 1956 whose nodal ministry is the Ministry of Law and Justice while the aspects of orphans are dealt with by the Ministry of Women and Child DevelopmentThe Ministry of Women and Child Development asked me for a detailed written submission which I gave them last March but till now no action has been takenThey dont want any action to be taken as they worry that children may go into the wrong hands he had saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever