District principal judge E. Bhima Rao observed that it is the responsibility of all in society to put children on the right path because they are prone to make mistakes or commit crimes at a tender age and they generally are not aware of the legal implications.
The judge was participating as the chief guest at a one-day workshop titled ‘How to stop children from committing crimes,’ organised by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA).
Mr. Bhima Rao said children make mistakes due to unforeseen circumstances. “As directed by the Supreme Court and the State High Court, police, education and women-and-child welfare departments at the district level should focus on taking precautions to prevent children from becoming involved in crimes,” he said. Officials should also be wary of the dangers such as drug abuse among children.
The judge stressed the importance of non-custodial practices; protection against handcuffing; identification of bad practices; and recognition of child-friendly courts. Rehabilitation of children in conflict with law should be given top priority, he added, asking the officials of various departments to focus on the right to a fair trial and child-friendly procedures.
DLSA secretary I. Karunakumar, III Additional Junior civil judge Sandhya Rani, Deputy SP Katama Raju, District Educational Officer (Annamayya District) Shriram Purushuttam, and senior officials were present.
