ORDER :— This writ petition filed in 1985 has been heard on different occasions and several orders and directions have been made from time to time with a view to providing relief to delinquent children detained in jails. On August 29, 1988, this Court made an order ((1988) 4 SCC 226) wherein some such directions have been excerpted and it is not necessary to make any detailed reference to those directions now.

2. In 1986 the District Judges of the entire country in response to the directions made by this Court supplied, inter alia, the particulars of under trial and convicted children found in regular jails within their respective jurisdiction. On the basis of the said reports it was found that in Assam, Bihar, Orissa, Punjab and West Bengal, the number of such children in regular jails was 64, 247, 60, 63 and 437 respectively. There was no such child in any regular jail of Gujarat but a varying numbers not exceeding 30 to 35 they were found in other States. Thereafter some of the States have filed affidavits indicating release from custody or, transfer of such children from jails and have stated that the position at present is very different and the number is either nil or negligib