District Magistrates (DM) can now issue adoption orders which earlier fell in the domain of the courts till the amended Juvenile Justice Model (Amendment) Rule 2022 came into force on September 1.
Addressing parents’ concerns, the ministry of women and child development had written to all states on September 12, directing the authorities to transfer pending adoption cases to the DM to avoid further delays.
According to the latest adoption regulations, District Magistrates will get no more than two months to approve adoption orders. It means adoption agencies through the District Child Protection Unit will have to file an application for an order from the DM within 10 days of matching the child with prospective adoptive parents.
Earlier, the modified Juvenile Justice (JJ) rules on September 1 declared the transfer of all pending cases in courts to District Magistrates.
Incidentally, amid rising concern among parents, the ministry of women and child development wrote to all states to direct the authorities concerned to transfer all cases from the courts to the DM to prevent any further delay in approving adoption orders.
Child Welfare Committees (CWC) get three days to declare an abandoned child free for adoption, two months after the child’s appearance before the CWC. This is applicable for kids up to two years. Four months have to pass for children above two years.
