After a real business of baby selling unearthed, all states directed to inspect child care homes run by Missionaries of Charity
New Delhi, July 17: Nearly 12 days after the real business of missionaries of selling newborns were unearthed by Jharkhand police, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Monday directed the state governments to inspect all child care homes run by Missionaries of Charity (MC) across the country.
Notably, the decision was taken at least 12 days after Jharkhand police arrested two nuns and an employee related to the Missionaries of charity, a trust founded by Nobel laureate Mother Teresa on charges of selling a baby allegedly for Rs 1.2 lakh. During the investigation, at least three newborns were also saved by Jharkhand police.
However, taking an immediate cognizance into illegal adoptions and selling of newborns carried out by Missionaries of Charity (MC), WCD Minister Maneka Gandhi directed a thorough inspection along with asking the state governments to ensure that all child care institutions are registered and linked to the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) within the next one month.
The Women and Child Development Ministry in a statement said, “Taking cognizance of the recent cases of illegal adoptions carried out by Missionaries of Charity in Jharkhand, Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi has instructed the states to get child care homes run by Missionaries of Charity all over the country inspected immediately.”
According to an official release, the mandatory registration of CCIs and linking to Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) has been provided in Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 which came into force more than two years ago but some orphanages had challenged the validity of this clause. "The Minister is expected to take this issue very strongly in the meeting of the WCD Ministers of States scheduled to be held on July 17," said a statement.
Since the year 2015, approximately 2,300 CCIs have been linked to CARA while around 4,000 are still pending for linkage.
BACKGROUND:
On July 5, Jharkhand police arrested three women including two nuns related to the Missionaries of charity, a trust founded by Nobel laureate Mother Teresa for selling the newborns of unwed mothers. The case under Section 370 of IPC (exploitation) was registered at Kotwali police station against all three.
The FIR was lodged after Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of Ranchi after its members went on a regular inspection around a week ago and found that a child had gone missing from the institution. The chairperson of Ranchi district child welfare committee (CWC), Rupa Verma had said that they came to know of the racket after a couple from Uttar Pradesh knocked on their doors.
While a member of CWC, Pratima Tiwari said, “Missionaries of Charity’s Jail Road chapter gives shelter to unwed mothers who have no place to give birth to their babies. In one of our inspection trips to the institution, a week ago, we found that one male newborn was missing.”
Following the revelation, the Jharkhand government-led by CM Raghubar Das ordered an inquiry into all children’s homes including Nirmal Hriday run by the MC in Jharkhand.