CJI inaugurates creche facility in SC for working lawyers, staff

Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra today inaugurated a creche facility at the Supreme Court premises for the children of working lawyers, court staff as also litigants.

The new facility will accommodate a maximum of 30 children of ages ranging from six months to six years and will also provide facilities for children of court staff, lawyers and litigants.

The facility was inaugurated by the CJI along with justices Ranjan Gogoi, M B Lokur, Kurian Joseph and other judges of the apex court.

The apex court in a press statement said that the admission fee for admitting a child is Rs 1,000 and care fee per month is Rs 1,500.

The creche has been employed with trained staff and equipped with child friendly furniture, utensils, toys and first aid kit and would be functioning from 8.30 AM to 6.30 PM on all working days.

The release said that members of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association and female registered clerks engaged by senior advocates, advocates, SCBA staff and officers of employees of the Registry can avail the facility.

The apex court had on March 15 said that the creche facility in its premises should become operational in the month of May after it had approved the draft guidelines on the judicial side.

It had perused the report submitted by the secretary general of the apex court and accepted the suggestion of the registry regarding having a small room and a larger room which would be collectively described as 'kitchen area'.

The court had earlier directed the stakeholders and the officials concerned of the registry to sit together to decide the issue of maintaining a regular kitchen and providing an alternative entry to the creche.

The matter pertains to a PIL filed by advocate Anindita Pujari seeking more facilities like separate rooms so that more children could be kept there by working parents.

Earlier, the apex court had said that creche service in the court premises was inadequate while asking the registry to see whether there was any prospect for expanding its service within the available infrastructure.

Senior advocate Indira Jaising, who represents the petitioner in the case, had earlier contended that the fee structure for the service was discouraging many working parents from taking the services of the child care unit.