India, May 5 -- The Bombay High Court on Monday upheld the constitutional validity of the 2021 amendment to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which empowers District Magistrates (DMs) to adjudicate adoption pleas in place of civil courts.

A division bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Manjusha Deshpande vacated the stay on the amendment's implementation, previously in force since November 1, 2023, thereby enabling DMs across Maharashtra to process and decide adoption applications. The amendment had come into effect on September 1, 2022, replacing the word "court" with "district magistrate" in relevant provisions of the Act.

The court was hearing two petitions, including one filed by a Kandivali resident ...