new delhi the delhi state government has failed to implement the juvenile justice care and protection of children act 2000 advocate manmohan told the delhi high court on thursdaymanmohan was appointed amicus curiae on april 15 to assist the court after it took suo motu cognizance of the matter when three youths two of them juvenile were arrested and kept in tihar jail without proper verification of their agethe three of them were arrested on march 10 by the tughlaq road police on charges of snatching a persons wrist watch at lodhi gardensthe two minors along with anil kumar 20 were sent to tihar by the time their ages was confirmed they had already spent over three weeks with adult undertrials in jailmanmohan told a division bench comprising justice devinder gupta and justice s mukerjee that under the act the government was dutybound to constitute competent authorities to handle cases involving minors the bodies required to be set up are a juvenile justice board for minors a welfare committee for children needing care and protection and a special juvenile police unitnone of these have been constituted the act exists merely on paper manmohan saidhe told the court that the delhi state government was yet to notify observation and special homes for delinquents and homes for children in need of care and protectionthe lawyer said the existing juvenile court and the juvenile welfare board had no legal authority despite being informed that the two boys were minors the police noted down their ages as 18 years and for this alleged lapse the act provides no punishment he saiddefending the police standing counsel mukta gupta said there was no noncompliance of the courts order by the police in handling the case