SC asks Centre if observation homes, JJBs equipped with video-conferencing facility

The Supreme Court Monday asked the Centre to apprise it on whether observation homes, where minors in conflict with law were kept, and juvenile justice boards (JJBs) are equipped with the video-conferencing facility.Referring to the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, the bench said: “The Act mandates that observation home should be there in every district. It is better to have a home which is properly maintained and have video conferencing facility.” In the long run it will be cheaper for the states and also comfortable for children, it said, adding, “You do not need to take a child 200 kilometre just to attend JJB”.
Passing a slew of directions, a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta also asked all the trial courts across the country to consider the possibility of pruning the list of witnesses, in consultation with public prosecutor and defence counsel.The bench said that in cases of petty offences, principle of ‘bail not jail’ should be liberally applied by the trial courts and in cases where accused was poor, the they should look into question of grant of bail in a sympathetic manner. It said trial courts should also consider releasing poor under-trials on personal or bail bonds of limited amount.The bench asked the trial courts to consider application of section 309 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which deals with power to postpone or adjourn proceedings, and ensure that when a witness appears before the court, he or she should be examined.
The court passed these directions while hearing a matter related to deficiencies in jails as highlighted by two apex court judges (one of them has retired) during their visit to Faridabad jail and an observation home in June this year. 
The bench said that video-conferencing facility in JJBs and observation homes has to be there as it would be cheaper for the states and also comfortable for the minors.
The bench also referred to the situation in a state where a juvenile has to travel for five to six hours to be produced before the JJB and such a problem could be solved by having video conferencing facility in observation homes and JJBs. The apex court also asked the Centre to inform it about the number of forensic science laboratories (FSLs), including the Central forensic science laboratory (CFSL), and indicate if there was any proposal to increase the number of such laboratories.Additional Solicitor General Aman Lekhi, appearing for the Centre, said that there were problems of non-availability of human resources and technology in FSLs across the country.”How many FSLs are there in the country?,” the bench asked. Responding to the query, Lekhi said there were 23 FSLs, out of which six were CFSLs.The bench asked the ASG to inform the court whether JJBs and observation homes were equipped with video-conferencing facility.”A state-wise chart should be prepared so that necessary directions can be given