ORDER

1. In this writ application relating to detention of children below the age of 16 years this Court has made directions from time to time. On April 15, 1986, the court expressed its concern about the state of affairs relating to children under detention and directed :

The District Judge in the country to nominate the Chief Judicial Magistrate or any other Judicial Magistrate to visit the District Jail and Sub-Jail in their districts for the purpose of ascertaining how many children below the age of 16 years are confined in jail, what are the offences in respect of which they are charged, how many of them have been in detention - whether in the same jail or previously in any other jail - before being brought to the jail in question, whether they have been produced before the childrens court and, if so, when and how many times and also directed that each District Judge will give utmost priority to this direction and the Superintendent of each jail in the district will provide full assistance to the District Judge or the Chief Judicial Magistrate or the Judicial Magistrate, in this behalf who will be entitled to inspect the registers of the jail visited by him as also any other document/documents which he may want to inspect and will also interview the children if he finds it necessary to do so for the purpose of gathering the correct information in case of any doubt. The District Judge, Chief Judicial Magistrate or the Judicial Magistrate, as the case may be, will submit report to this Court within 10 weeks from today.

This Court again directed by its order dated August 5, 1986 that :

......... every defaulting District Judge who has not yet submitted his report shall unfailingly comply with the direction and furnish the report by August 31, 1986, through the High Court and the Registrar of every High Court shall ensure that compliance with the present direction is made.

2. Notwithstanding our expression of anguish and concern and the specific directions referred to above, it transpires that there has been no compliance from certain quarters. For convenience, we proceed to indicate below the particulars Statewise :

Name of the State Name of the District from where

no report has been received

Assam Barpeta

Lakhimpur

Darrang

Kabri-Anglong

North Cachar

Pragiyotishpur

Manipur Bishnupur

Chandel

Churandarpur

Senapati

Tamenglang

Thoubai

Ukhrul

Meghalaya East Garo Hills

West Garo Hills

Jainitia Hills

West Khasi Hills

Bihar Godda

Gumla

Khagaria

Lotiardagga

Medhapura

Sahebganj

Maharashtra Greater Bombay

Gadchiroli

Akola

Uttar Pradesh Rai Bareli

Mathura

Shahajahanpur

3. Some of the States like, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh have not filed any affidavit though there was a previous direction requiring the States to indicate their stand by filing affidavits.

4. In regard to Sub-Jails, no reports have been received in respect of such jails of 14 districts of Maharashtra. Though this matter was listed on November 14, 1986 for final disposal, an adjournment became imperative in view of the failure of compliance with the directions in the manner indicated above and the matter is adjourned