Mysore: Following a series of articles in this newspaper and the application submitted by the guardians to Child Welfare Committee(CWC), Mysore, the CWC on Tuesday finally reviewed its earlier order and directed Vatsalya Charitable Trust to temporarily withhold the adoption procedures of the two children pending, at the City Civil and Sessions Court.
The children who have been sent from an institution in Mysore to another in Bengaluru, were declared legally free for adoption without their consent, and were all set to be given for adoption to an Italian couple.
In its latest order, CWC has asked Vatsalya to transfer the children to a government home for boys in Mysore to provide an opportunity for guardians Neelamma and Nataraj to meet the children. They have also asked the guardians to produce documents before CWC to establish their guardianship.
When contacted Mysore CWC Chairperson, Venkatesh said, “It is for the first time in the history of Mysore CWC that we have exercised powers under section 55 (1) and reviewed our order. Since the matter is pending before the court, we are not sure how far this order will help. We have told Vatsalya to transfer the children at the earliest,” he said.
Reacting to the latest order, former member of Karnataka Commission for the Protection of Child Rights Vasudev Sharma, “Errors do happen. There is no precedent of section 55 (1) being used by CWCs on an order in which children are declared free for adoption. But it is a good development,” he said.
Ms Anjali Pawar, Director of Sakhee, a Child Rights Organisation in Pune and Consultant for “Against Child Trafficking”, Brussels, Belgium, who had approached the guardians along with Arun Dohle, Researcher and activist, said, “Mysore CWC can ask Vatsalya Charitable Trust to withdraw the adoption case.”
