129-Year-Old UP Orphanage Faces Police Case For Missing Working Licence

A case has been registered against the office bearers of the 129-year-old 'Yateem Khana' (Muslim orphanage) here for operating without obtaining licence from the Juvenile Justice Board, an official said on Monday.

The FIR was registered at Colonelganj police station on Sunday, on a complaint lodged by district probation officer Jaideep Singh following the directives of the district magistrate, the official said.

The police registered the case under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 against the office bearers of Anjuman Yateem Khana Islamia Association.

On May 21, the district probation officer and police had raided the orphanage situated at posh Parade crossing and found 29 minor orphans being fostered there, said the official seeking anonymity.

During the raid, the officials found 29 inmates, 19 girls and 10 boys, as minors out of 42, the official said.

Strict directives were issued to hand over the minor orphans to their family members or guardians after which all the 29 minor orphans were sent to their respective homes within days, he added.

Meanwhile, Yateem Khana Islamia Association's general secretary, Akhtar Husain, said they have applied for the mandatory registration with the board under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015, but the registration has not been made so far.

He, however, claimed that the action was biased, as the district administration should have given them six-month time before lodging the FIR. 

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