Child rights commission remains defunct
PANAJI
After months of silence over a crucial child protection mechanism, the Goa government has finally reconstituted the Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) in North and South Goa -- panels that decide the fate of children in conflict with the law and are central to the State’s juvenile justice system.
The notification dated January 6 brings to an end a delay of more than four months after applications were invited, and over a year after the earlier Boards’ term lapsed.
As per the order signed by Director of Women & Child Development Jyoti Desai, Judicial Magistrates First Class of North Goa and South Goa have been designated as Principal Magistrates of JJB North and JJB South, respectively. Social activist working on the welfare of women and children, Andrea Pereira, and Advocate Chandru alias Chandan Gajanan Naik Shirodkar have been appointed as members of the North Goa JJB Board, while Advocate Nishigandha Nishikant Shet and Advocate Sumita Swant Dessai will serve as members of the South Goa Board.
The tenure of the reconstituted Boards will be three years. JJB North will sit once a week on Thursdays and JJB South on Tuesdays. Both Boards will function from Apna Ghar, Merces, as specified in the order issued by Desai.
The appointments follow a prolonged and uncertain process. An advertisement dated August 4, 2025, had invited applications for both Boards between August 6 and August 22. Interviews of eligible candidates were conducted around the end of October, but the appointments — for reasons not made public — did not materialise until this notification.
Official records show that the previous JJBs’ term expired in 2024. The government initially granted a three-month extension, followed by further extensions, before issuing an advertisement that was later cancelled. A fresh call for applications was eventually issued in August.
Under the JJB Rules, members serve a three-year term and vacancies are to be filled from a list prepared by a Selection Committee.
But while the JJBs have now been reconstituted, concerns remain over the continued dormancy of the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR). The Commission has remained defunct for nearly two years, since the term of its Chairperson, Peter Borges, ended on May 19, 2024, followed soon after by the expiry of members’ tenure.
The department had earlier stated that the file seeking reconstitution had been forwarded for approval and while some movement took place on December 17, 2024, the process stalled again. In October 2025, the government issued a fresh advertisement for the Commission’s chairperson and members, with November 21, 2025, as the deadline, after cancelling an earlier notice in June.
