Creche facility should become operational from May 1: SC

The Supreme Court today said that the creche facility in its premises should become operational from May 1 and asked the stakeholders to hold a meeting with the officials of the apex court registry to evolve its modalities.

A bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi, R Banumathi and M M Shantanagoudar said that after holding the meeting and discussing the modalities for running the creche, the registry would file a report in the court.

"Insofar as the issue with regard to modalities governing the running of the creche is concerned, we would request the stakeholders to sit in a meeting with the official(s) of the registry on a mutually convenient date to evolve the modalities/principles, details of which have been indicated illustratively in our previous order dated March 6, 2018. The registry, on the completion of the discussions in this regard, is requested to submit a report," the bench said.

"As the court is of the view that the creche should become operational from May 1, 2018, we direct the registry to submit its report on or before April 10, 2018," the bench said and posted the matter for hearing on April 10.

The bench 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.