Bombay HC takes suo motu cognizance of long adoption waiting period

The Bombay High Court on Monday took suo motu (on its own) cognizance of the reported delay and long waiting periods in adoption cases, and sought the response of the Centre and the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).

A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice M.S. Karnik said a public interest litigation has been initiated based on a letter the court received following a media report which highlighted the grievances of couples who wished to adopt children.

As per the report, the average adoption waiting period has increased to more than three years in India.

The bench appointed senior counsel Milind Sathe and advocate Gaurav Shrivastava as the amicus curiae (to assist the court) in the matter.

The judges directed the Centre and CARA to file their affidavits and posted the matter for further hearing on 23 June.

Citing data on the CARA dashboard, the news report said over 35,000 prospective parents across various categories have registered to adopt, while the number of children available for adoption was around 2,400.