Section 20 in Tamil Nadu Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Rules, 2017
20. Time and place of sitting of committee.
(1)The Committee shall hold its sittings in the premises of a children's home or, at a place in proximity to the children's home or at a suitable premises in any child care institution run under the Act for children in need of care and protection. The Committee shall normally hold its sitting for twenty days in a month from Monday to Friday between 11.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. The Chairperson, may extend the time of the sitting or may reschedule the day and time of sitting for any important business to transact;(2)The Committee shall function cohesively as single body and as such shall not form any sub-committees;(3)At the time of final disposal of a case, there shall be atleast three members present including the Chairperson, and in the absence of the Chairperson, a member so nominated to act as such;(4)The premises where the Committee holds its sittings shall be child friendly and shall not resemble a court room in any manner whatsoever; the Committee shall not sit on a raised platform and the sitting arrangement shall be uniform and there shall be no witness boxes and the police shall not be in uniform;(5)The Committee shall interview the child sensitively and in a child friendly manner and shall not use accusatory or adverse words that tend to impact the dignity or self-esteem of the child. The inquiry shall satisfy the basic principles of natural justice and shall ensure the informed participation of the child, parent or guardian. The child shall be given an opportunity to be heard and the opinion voiced shall be taken into consideration with due regard to age and level of maturity. The orders of the Committee shall be in writing and contain reasons;(6)On receiving information about a child in need of care and protection, if circumstances warrants that child cannot be produced before the Committee, the Committee may move out to reach such a child or hold its camp sitting at a place that is convenient for the child;(7)In the event of continued absence of a Chairperson or member without prior intimation to the committee for more than five sittings, it shall be informed to the Directorate of Social Defence;(8)The Chairperson and members of the Committee shall be paid sitting allowance, travelling allowance or any other allowance as decided by the Government from time to time;(9)The Committee shall maintain proper records of the children produced and related documents;(10)The Committee shall send the details of children declared legally free for adoption and the number of cases pending before them on a monthly basis to Specialised Adoption Resource Agency and to the Director of Social Defence before the tenth of every succeeding month.
