Section 30(3) in Punjab Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Rules, 2014
(3)In case of orphaned and abandoned children, the following procedure shall apply, namely:-(a)specialized adoption agencies shall produce all orphaned and abandoned children, who are to be declared legally free for adoption before the Child Welfare Committee within twenty-four hours of receiving such children, excluding the time taken for journey;(b)a child becomes eligible for adoption when the said Committee has completed its inquiry and declares that the child is legally free for adoption;(c)such declaration shall be made in Form XIV;(d)a child must be produced before the Committee at the time of declaring such child legally free for adoption;(e)whenever intimation is received by the police about an abandoned infant, the police shall take charge of the infant and arrange to provide immediate medical assistance and care;(f)subsequently, the child shall be placed in a specialized adoption agency or recognized and certified childrens home or in a pediatric unit of a Government hospital followed by production of the child before the said Committee within twenty-four hours; and(g)procedure for declaring a child abandoned and certifying him legally free for adoption shall be as under:-(i)in case of an abandoned child, the recognized agency shall within twenty four hours, report and produce the child before the said Committee along with the copy of the report filed with the police station in whose jurisdiction the child was found abandoned;(ii)the said Committee will institute a process of inquiry, which shall include a thorough inquiry conducted by the Probation Officer or Child Welfare Officer, as the case may be and who shall give report in Form XIII to the Committee containing the findings within a period of one month;(iii)there shall be a declaration by the specialized adoption agency, stating that there has been no claimant for the child even after making notification in at least one leading national newspaper and one regional language newspaper for children below two years of age and for children above two years, an additional television or radio announcement and notification to the missing persons squad or bureau shall also be made;(iv)the steps stated in sub-clause (iii), shall be taken within a period of sixty days from the date when the child is found in case of a child below two years of age, and in case of children above two years of age, with in a period of four months;(v)the period of notification shall run concurrently with the inquiry to be conducted and report submitted under sub-clause (ii);(vi)the said Committee shall declare the child legally free for adoption on completion of the process of inquiry, including declaration of the specialized adoption agency made under sub-clauses (ii) and (iii); and(vii)no child above seven years who can understand and express his opinion, shall be declared free for adoption without his consent.
