New
Delhi:
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it did not believe that only 27 children had
been orphaned during the COVID-19 lockdown in Bengal, warning the state against
providing “unacceptable” data and adding that it may order a probe if the
correct numbers are not provided.
A
two-judge bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao reminded the Bengal
government that this is a matter of children's welfare and could not be seen as
a political issue with the centre.
The
court's irate response came during a hearing on ensuring the safety and
protection of children whose parents had died, either as a result of COVID-19
or during lockdown periods.
It
had asked the Bengal government for the number of Covid orphans in its
territories, to which the state's counsel had replied: “27 children, where both
parents have died.”
A
disbelieving bench questioned this, indicating it was low given the severity of
the pandemic.
“If
you (the Bengal government's lawyer) are saying 27 children were orphaned we
will record the statement (but) Bengal is a big state... we are not prepared to
believe this figure,” the court said.
The
lawyer for the Bengal government replied that collection of data is an “ongoing”
process.
To
this Justice Rao shot back: “Do not make irresponsible statements and do not
give excuses. Understand the urgency of the situation. Orphans are left to fend
for themselves. It is your duty to protect them not ours. We ensure children
get their rights.”
“Do
not take such a stand. It is not a political matter, it pertains to welfare of
children.”
The
court then directed District Magistrates across Bengal to collect the
information and upload it to the NCPCR (National Commission for Protection of
Child Rights) portal at the earliest.
It
also directed the Secretary of the state's Women and Child Development and
Social Welfare departments to file an affidavit on steps taken to upload these
figures.
An
accurate count of Covid orphans and plans for their education and care have
been the focus of considerable debate since at least June, when the top court
took up the issue suo motu.
The
exact number of orphans, however, remains unclear even now, with conflicting
reports from different agencies and questionable data from some state
governments.
In
May, Smriti Irani - the Union Minister for Women and Child Development - said
577 children across the country had been orphaned by Covid between April 1 and
May 25.
This
was based on data provided by state and UT governments.
Last
week Ms Irani revised that figure and said 645 had been orphaned in that
period. Uttar Pradesh had the most with 158 children. Andhra Pradesh was second
with 119.
In
June the NCPCR told the court that 3,621 children had been orphaned, 26,176
lost one parent and 274 were abandoned as a result of the pandemic.
This
was for the period from April 1 last year to June 5 this year.
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