LUCKNOW, Aug. 23 -- Child protection is both a statutory and moral responsibility of the state and society, Allahabad high court Chief Justice Arun Bhansali said on Saturday at a state-level consultation marking 10 years of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. "Completion of 10 years is not just to acknowledge achievements, but to honestly evaluate whether the law has brought real and meaningful change in children's lives," he said. The consultation was organised by the Juvenile Justice Committee of the Allahabad high court in collaboration with the UP department of women and child development and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) at the Judicial Training and Research Institute (JTRI), Lucknow. Justice Bhansali said the Act places the best interests, dignity, rehabilitation and reintegration of children at its core. He said the last decade had seen institutional progress through Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs), Child Welfare Committees (CWCs), Child Care Institutions, digital adoption processes and monitoring mechanisms. Justice Rajan Roy traced the evolution of juvenile justice in India from the Juvenile Justice Acts of 1960 and 1986 to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989, and the JJ Acts of 2000 and 2015. Justice Ajay Bhanot stressed a child-sensitive approach in bail and protection matters. Citing a case involving a mother facing trial for a heinous crime, he said a child should not be punished for the mother's incarceration. During the programme, the third edition of the book 'Udaan' was released. Justice Bhansali also blessed specially-abled children associated with Lucknow-based NGO Drishti and distributed gifts. Additional chief secretary Leena Johri called for stronger mechanisms to protect child rights and welfare. district judges, special judges the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO), principal magistrates of JJBs, police officials, probation officers and other stakeholders attended the consultation. JTRI director Rekha Agnihotri welcomed the dignitaries and highlighted the significance of the consultation theme. The session concluded with a vote of thanks by UNICEF officials, while JTRI deputy directors conducted the proceedings....