Chapter VIII MAINTENANCE AND TREATMENT OF COMMITTED CHILDREN.

(1) The competent authority, which makes an order for the detention of a neglected child in a children’s home or a juvenile offender in a certified school or for the commital of a neglected child or juvenile offender to the care of a relative or other fit person, may make an order on the parent or other person liable to maintain the child, to contribute towards his maintenance, if he is able to do so, in the prescribed manner. (2) The competent authority before making any order under sub-section (1) shall, inquire into the circumstances of the parent or other person liable to maintain the child and shall record evidence if any in the presence of the parent or such other person, as the case may be. (3) Any order under this section may be varied by the competent authority on an application made to it by the party liable or otherwise. (4) The person liable to maintain a child shall for the purposes of sub-section (1) include in the case of illegitimacy his putative father: Provided that where the child is illegitimate and an order for his maintenance has been made under sections 125 and 126 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, the competent authority shall not ordinarily make an order for contribution against the putative father but may order the whole or any part of the payments accruing due under the said order for maintenance to such person or persons as may be named, to be applied by him or them, as the case may be, towards the maintenance of the child.

(1) In determining the children‟s home, certified school, fit person institution or other person to whose custody a child is to be committed or entrusted under this Act, the competent authority shall ascertain the religious persuasion to which the child belongs and shall, if possible, in selecting such children‟s home, certified school, fit person institution or other person have regard to the facilities which are afforded for instruction in his religion.

(2) When a child is committed to the care of a children‟s home or certified school where facilities for instruction in his religion are not afforded or is entrusted to the care of a fit person institution or other person under circumstances as it appears that no special facilities for the up-bringing of the child as per his religious practice exist, the authorities of such children‟s home, certified school or such fit person institution or such other person shall not bring up the child as per any religious practice other than that of the child.

(3) Where it is brought to the notice of the Chief Inspector or of the competent authority that a breach of sub-section (2) has been committed, it shall be open to the Chief Inspector or the competent authority to transfer the child from the custody of such home, school, institution or person.

(4) The children‟s home, certified school or fit person institution shall, wherever possible, provide for moral instructions to the children including juvenile offenders kept in such home, school or institution.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any law for the time being in force, any police officer may arrest without a warrant a child who has escaped from a children‟s home, certified school or a fit person institution or from the supervision of a society or a person under whose supervision he was directed to remain and shall send the child back to the home, school, institution, society or the person without registering any offence or prosecuting the child and the said child shall not be deemed to have committed any offence by reason of such escape, but he shall be dealt with by the authorities of the home, school, institution or society or the person concerned in such manner as they think fit, provided such authorities or person shall at the same time inform the action taken to the competent authority from which the child was originally sent.