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Section 69: Steering Committee of Authority

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 • Official Statutory Text & Practice Guide

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Act 2015
Section 68 All 112 Sections of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 Section 70

Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 69

Section 69 of the Act provides for the Steering Committee of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), establishing an executive governing board to oversee the administration, policy formulation, and budget of the Authority.

  • Tripartite High-Level Steering Board: Consists of the Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development as Chairperson, alongside CARA Chief Executive Officer, state government representatives, and civil society adoption specialists.
  • Executive Governance & Policy Approval: Empowers the Steering Committee to approve annual budgets, review adoption trends, formulate regulatory amendments, and audit CARA operations.
  • Quarterly Strategic Review Meetings: Mandates that the Steering Committee meet at least once every quarter to address operational backlogs on the CARINGS portal.
Key Landmark Precedents:
  • Shabnam Hashmi v. Union of India (2014) 4 SCC 1: Supreme Court recognized that the Steering Committee provides multi-stakeholder governance ensuring CARA policies balance child welfare with operational efficiency.
  • Sampurna Behura v. Union of India (2018) 4 SCC 433: Affirmed the strategic oversight role of CARA's governing board in reforming adoption infrastructure.
  • Lakshmi Kant Pandey v. Union of India (1984) 2 SCC 244: Affirmed that central adoption governance must involve experienced child welfare experts.
Courtroom Practice & Strategic Litigation Guidance:

Adoption advocacy federations and child rights groups should submit policy memoranda directly to the Steering Committee of CARA under Section 69 to propose enhancements to senior-child and special-needs adoption incentives.

Section 68 All 112 Sections of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 Section 70