(a) whether the Government has approved District Magistrates/Collectors as the competent authorities for sanctioning adoption instead of the courts;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government is considering to amend the Juvenile Justice Act in this regard; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
(DR. VIRENDRA KUMAR)
(a) to (d): Section 61 of The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, (JJ Act) 2015, mandates that adoption shall be finalized by a court order within a period of two months from the date of filing. The Ministry has introduced the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2018 in Lok Sabha on 6th August, 2018 to amend the provisions of the JJ Act, 2015 to replace “court” with “District Magistrate under Sections 56(5), 58(3), 58(4), 59(7), 59(8), 60(1), 61(1), 61(2), (63), (64), and 65(4) of the JJ Act, 2015.
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