Respond Within 2 weeks: Patna High Court to State Government on Monitoring of Orchestra Groups

Terming trafficking and exploitation of children under the garb of orchestra and dance groups as a 'serious issue', the Patna High Court has issued a notice to the state government seeking a response within two weeks on the regulation of orchestra and other dance groups. Highlighting the large-scale exploitation of children, and especially minor girls, in orchestra groups, JRC, which is the country’s largest network of over 250 NGOs working for child protection in 418 districts of the country, had urged the High Court to direct the creation of a state-level coordination mechanism to address the issue.

Acting Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar and Justice Partha Sarthy, while describing the trafficking of children below the age of 18 years as a grave concern, directed the state government to take immediate action and file an affidavit within two weeks.

In an Interlocutory Application, Just Rights for Children had requested the High Court to direct the state government to formulate a comprehensive and coordinated action plan in collaboration with all stakeholders to prevent the exploitation of minor girls, ensure regulation and monitoring of orchestra groups, and to provide compensation and rehabilitation to the victims under the provisions of the Bihar Victim Compensation Scheme, 2014 (as amended in 2019). Taking cognizance of the interim plea, the High Court accepted the request and issued directions for immediate action and filing of a detailed affidavit within two weeks.

JRC had submitted the application after its partner organization, Association for Voluntary Action (AVA), assisted in rescuing 44 minor girls from an orchestra group in Rohtas, and many more were rescued through police action supported by partner organizations in Saran and Gopalganj. Following these rescue operations, JRC demanded a complete ban on the use of minor girls in orchestra groups and sought comprehensive rehabilitation measures to prevent them from being pushed back into exploitation.

Welcoming the High Court’s notice, Rachna Tyagi, Legal Advisor, Just Rights for Children, said that this is a significant step towards ensuring the protection and dignity of vulnerable and marginalized girls. She stated, “Orchestra groups have become tools for trafficking and exploitation of minor girls. There has long been a need for a comprehensive plan to prevent this, regulate these groups, and rehabilitate the victims. We hope that after this notice, the state government will take strong measures to protect these girls, ensure their rehabilitation, and put an end to their exploitation in such settings.”

Just Rights for Children, which leads the country’s largest legal intervention programme for child rights, is supported by over 250 partner organizations working across 418 districts nationwide.