Earlier in February, the High Court had pulled up the Delhi government’s Women and Child Development, with a division bench orally remarking that the state should repeal the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act if it continues to progress at a snail’s pace. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna/ representative)Even as the Delhi government on Monday announced that it will set up child protection committees in all 5,363 schools across the Capital, it has failed to fill seven vacancies in the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR), a statutory body on matters of child rights, over the last three years, that is since July 2023, drawing the High Court ire repeatedly.According to a press release issued by the government, Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday chaired a high-level review meeting at Raj Niwas where directions were issued that child protection initiatives should become a permanent and integral part of the functioning of all institutions. Directions were also issued to constitute committees in all 5,633 schools across Delhi by the end of July. These include schools run by the government, MCD, and private schools.Earlier in February, the High Court had pulled up the Delhi government’s Women and Child Development, with a division bench orally remarking that the state should repeal the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act if it continues to progress at a snail’s pace.The state at the time had sought time till April this year to complete the appointments and justified that the time taken so far has been essential “in the interest of ensuring transparency, fairness” in the process of appointments. But, in April, the state sought further extension by six weeks to issue notification of selected candidates.However, according to the latest affidavit filed on July 2 by the state, the appointments have not been made, submitting that the department is “making all earnest and necessary efforts to complete the appointment process at the earliest.”Advocate Prabhsahay Kaur, who has been assisting the court as amicus curiae in the case, referring to the three-judge bench SC judgment of 2018 in the case of Sampurna Behura vs Union of India, told The Indian Express, “The judgment had clearly emphasised on the importance of the Commissions for Child Protection — both national and state-level — even to monitor the implementation of POCSO Act and the Juvenile Justice Act. The judgment had also emphasised that we cannot drown the voice of children in the din of governance.”Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram