Overview
- Chief Justice Surya Kant argued that substance exposure should be treated first as a child-protection matter because it disrupts education, strains family ties, harms physical and mental health, and raises the risk of exploitation and trafficking.
- He said responses must focus on safety, treatment, counselling and rehabilitation rather than permanently labeling children, so that vulnerable youths can grow, learn, recover and belong.
- The remarks were delivered at the 'Childhood Beyond Drugs' programme in Patna, an event attended by Bihar Governor Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd.) and other senior judicial figures.
- Earlier the same day he held an open-house dialogue with students at Chanakya National Law University, answering questions on legal education, student rights and judicial reform in a session organised by the Academic and Debating Committee and the Legal Aid Cell.
- Surya Kant’s child-protection framing could push courts, police, schools, health services and child-care institutions to adopt coordinated, dignity-preserving protocols for prevention, rehabilitation and reintegration of affected children.