Contemporary Discourse on Rights of Children in Conflict with Law in the context of Article 21 of Constitution of India

About the Speaker

Mr. Anant Kumar Asthana is one of India’s leading child rights lawyers and has profoundly influenced the development of child protection and juvenile justice discourse in the country. With over fifteen years of specialised experience, his work has consistently advanced a child-centred, rights-based understanding of justice grounded in constitutional principles. Mr. Asthana is widely recognised for his defence of the rehabilitative framework and the age criterion of eighteen years under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000. In Salil Bali v. Union of India (2013), his submissions played a crucial role in upholding the constitutionality of treating all persons below eighteen as juveniles, reaffirming rehabilitation, reintegration, and dignity as core constitutional values. His work in Court on Its Own Motion v. Department of Women and Child Development (2012) was instrumental in ensuring effective executive implementation of statutory safeguards for juveniles, thereby strengthening the protection of children’s rights under Article 21 of the Constitution. Beyond litigation, Mr. Asthana has been actively engaged in policy advocacy, training, and capacity-building initiatives for Juvenile Justice Boards, Child Welfare Committees, and other child protection institutions. He is a recognised voice in contemporary debates on juvenile justice reform, emphasising institutional accountability, child-sensitive procedures, and faithful implementation of statutory and constitutional guarantees. In 2023, Mr. Asthana was honoured with the Child Rights Champion Award (Jurist category) by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights, recognising his contribution to using law to bend the arc of justice towards children and for amplifying the voices of children in courtrooms and training settings.