Draft:Bhuwan Ribhu

Bhuwan Ribhu is a New Delhi-based lawyer working to advocate for the protection of women and children. His contributions span various areas including policies addressing trafficking, child labour, child sexual abuse, child marriages, modern slavery, and online safety.

Education
Ribhu studied at Apeejay School, New Delhi before attending the University of Delhi, where he graduated in law. He is a registered advocate with the Bar Council of India

Career
Ribhu's efforts have influenced the establishment and enforcement of stringent laws aimed at safeguarding children and women in India. Notably, his litigations have led to several landmark judgments by the Supreme Court of India. These judgments have played a pivotal role in addressing issues such as missing children, the implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act, defining trafficking according to the UN's Palermo Protocol, and the establishment of institutional mechanisms such as Child Welfare Committees and Juvenile Justice Boards.

Some notable cases Ribhu has been involved in include:


 * 2009: Secured a crucial judgment that laid down definite roles and responsibilities of all government agencies in combatting child labour in Save The Childhood Foundation vs NCT of Delhi & Ors. W.P (CRL) 2069/2005.
 * 2011: Appeared in BBA Vs UOI & ORS. Writ Petition (Civil) No.51 of 2006 that led to the landmark judgement recognising trafficking as an organised crime, aligning its definition with UNCTOC Protocol and prompt enforcement of the Juvenile Justice Act.
 * 2012: Assisted the court in Budhadev Karmaskar Vs. State of West Bengal Criminal Appeal No.135 of 2010 to recognise the rights of sex workers, including the right to live with dignity and enjoy the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.
 * 2013: Argued before the Supreme Court in Bachpan Bachao Andolan vs. Union of India and Others W.P.(Crl.)75 of 2012 which led to the definition of 'Missing Children,' the requirement to apply the Doctrine of Presumption of Crime in cases of missing children, and the compulsory registration of FIRs in all cases of missing children.
 * 2014: Assisted the Delhi Government in framing an Action Plan on Elimination of Child Labour after a strategic intervention through Save The Childhood Foundation vs NCT of Delhi & Ors. W.P.(Crl) 2069/2005.
 * 2014: Tactically engaged through Bachpan Bachao Andolan Vs. Urvashi Gulati & Ors. COCP No. 1075 of 2010 in which the court has directed the Punjab and Haryana government to ensure the education and welfare of 10840 out-of-school children including 2093 in brick-kilns.
 * 2014: Supervised Bachpan Bachao Andolan’s team of lawyers in Bachpan Bachao and Ors vs. Union of India and Others W.P (Crl) 82 of 2009 which effectively led to enforcement of Delhi Private Placement Agencies (Regulation) Executive Order, 2014 and regulation of illegal placement agencies.
 * 2016: Procured judgement on BBA Vs Union of India & Ors. W.P.(C.) No. 906 Of 2014 in the Supreme Court that led to the development of the National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction in 2016 and subsequent inclusion of child rights in National Education Policy in 2020.
 * 2018: Assisted Delhi High Court and the govt through Neetu Tiru Rewati Ram Vs. State W.P.(Crl.) 869/1998 in developing and leveraging the Facial Recognition Software by the Delhi Police which helped in identification of about 3000 missing children in four days.
 * 2018: Strategically intervened through Sampurna Behura vs. Union of India & ORS Writ Petition (Civil) No.473 of 2005 for effective and robust implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
 * 2019: Contributed to augmenting the criminal justice system in India through Suo-Moto W.P. (Criminal) 1/2019 judgement which resulted in setting up of more than 1000 exclusive POCSO courts for efficient and time-bound trial of POCSO cases.
 * 2019: Appeared before the High Court of Delhi in Sadhan Haldar Vs The State NCT Of Delhi & Ors W.P.(CRL) 1560/2017. The judgement introduced systemic changes in tracing India’s missing children including the Delhi High Court directing the Central Government to simplify procedures on Track the Missing Child and promptly appoint Para Legal Volunteers.
 * 2019: Appeared before the High Court of Delhi in Bachpan Bachao Andolan Vs Union Of India And Ors W.P.(C) 466/2016 in which the court reaffirmed the paramountcy of victims' rights and directed the GNCTD to release a portion of the Victim Compensation Fund, ₹25 crores to the District Legal Services Authority within 10 days.
 * 2022: Assisted the High Court of Delhi and the DSLSA in Manish Vs State Bail Appln. 619/2021 to ensure that victims of sexual abuse received their rightful compensation. This intervention led to approximately 87,504 victims of sexual abuse availing access to justice. Further, efforts resulted in the Delhi Government releasing ₹15.5 crore to State Legal Services (DSLSA) in lieu of compensation to needy victims.
 * 2023: Prevented the devolution of age of consent narrative in the Supreme Court of India through BBA Vs Union Of India W.P(Civil) 814/2023 which would have been contrary to the spirit of POCSO Act.
 * 2023: Guided a tactical intervention through Bachpan Bachao Andolan vs Union of India & Ors W.P.(C)/427/2022 that resulted in a landmark Supreme Court judgement in 2023 mandating the appointment of support persons in all POCSO cases.
 * 2024: Challenged the Madras High Court's ruling before the Supreme Court in Just Rights For Children Alliance Vs S. Harish Criminal SLP (Crl) 3665/2024 that decriminalised the download and possession of child pornography. The Supreme Court termed the High Court’s observations as "atrocious," thereby highlighting the importance of comprehensive protection for millions of sexually exploited children worldwide.
 * 2024: Procured a landmark judgement towards fighting child marriage in India in Just Rights For Children Alliance vs State of Rajasthan & Ors. (CWP) No. 6821 of 2024. The Rajasthan High Court affixed accountability of Panch/Sarpanch (Village Head) to prevent child marriages in the state.

Publications

 * When Children Have Children   (2023) - A blueprint to end child marriages in India by 2030 using the PICKET strategy.
 * Just Rights: Why Justice should be a Fundamental Right - Articulates the essential relationship between the state and the individual and the fundamental right to justice.