Supreme Court Slams CARA for Red Tape Blocking Family Adoptions

The Supreme Court delivered a sharp rebuke to the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) on Wednesday, slamming the government body for bureaucratic red tape that is actively preventing families from adopting children. The bench was scathing in its assessment of CARA's functioning, pointing to procedural hurdles that cause inordinate delays even in cases where families and children are matched and ready to proceed.

CARA, which functions under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, is the sole statutory body authorised to oversee domestic and inter-country adoptions in India under the Juvenile Justice Act. Critics and adoption advocates have for years complained that its processes are labyrinthine — involving multiple layers of documentation, home studies, waiting periods, and approvals — resulting in prospective parents waiting anywhere from two to five years to complete an adoption.

The Supreme Court's intervention is particularly significant because it reflects a broader failure: India has over 400,000 children in institutional care, yet completed adoptions number only in the low thousands each year. The mismatch between children in need and willing families has long been attributed to CARA's cumbersome procedures rather than a shortage of prospective parents.

The court is expected to press CARA and the Ministry for concrete reforms to reduce delays and remove unnecessary procedural barriers. Legal advocates for child rights welcomed the ruling, saying judicial pressure is often the only lever that forces administrative reform. The case will now be watched closely by the thousands of families currently navigating CARA's adoption pipeline.