Bill seeks to cut delay in adoption cases

New Delhi : A bill to make district magistrates the final authority for approving children's adoptions was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2018, moved by Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi, aims at cutting delays in adoption cases.

The Union cabinet had last month given its nod to the Bill following the Ministry's proposal that the district magistrates should be the approving authority as the courts are overburdened and take a long time to approve adoptions.

Officials said the existing law prescribes a two-year period within which the certificate of adoption has to be issued by a court, but experience shows that it takes more than two years.