The Supreme Court (SC) of India, on October 18, 2024, issued several directives to prohibit child marriages in India. The SC instructed states and Union Territories to appoint officers specifically responsible for the role of Child Marriage Prohibition Officers at the district level.
Additionally, the Collectors and Superintendents of Police in each district across India were tasked with actively preventing child marriages in their respective areas, according to the SC’s directions.
The apex court also called for the establishment of a special unit dedicated to the prevention of child marriages. A “Child Marriage Free Village” initiative was proposed, encouraging Panchayats and community leaders to take an active role in preventing and reporting child marriages.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs, in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development and the National Legal Services Authority, was instructed to establish a dedicated portal for the online reporting of child marriages. This portal would feature options for anonymous reporting, enabling victims and concerned citizens to easily lodge complaints and access support services.
The SC also directed the identification and support of children at risk. Superintendents of Police and Collectors were instructed to identify instances of child marriage and monitor children vulnerable to dropping out of school due to socio-economic challenges or the threat of early marriage.
To address forest fires in Uttarakhand, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change was directed to allocate funds to the state forest fepartment to improve basic infrastructure for effective forest fire management. The recommendation was made in the report filed by the amicus curiae Gaurav Kumar Bansal before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on October 14, 2024.
The Uttarakhand government was urged to review its fire lines, which have not been assessed for a considerable period and this is deemed essential for effective fire management. Additionally, the state was advised to appoint a sufficient number of forest guards, watchers and foresters to combat forest fires.
The state was further instructed to implement the recommendations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India in its report titled Compliance audit report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India for the years ended 31 March 2020 and 31 March 2021.
The NGT, in an order on April 18, 2024, had directed the amicus curiae to report on the issue of leaf burning in the Badkot Forest Range along the Rishikesh-Dehradun Road. The amicus curiae also highlighted critical deficiencies and violations that hinder effective forest fire management in the state.
The NGT on October 15, 2024 in the matter of Syed Riyaz vs Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir, directed the deputy commissioner of Budgam to ensure the enforcement of closure orders for 134 brick kiln units in Kashmir, which had resumed operations despite the orders.
The deputy commissioner was instructed to take all necessary steps in accordance with the law, in consultation and coordination with the Jammu & Kashmir Pollution Control Committee and submit a compliance report within two months to the registrar general of the tribunal.