The Government Special Home for Boys at Summanahalli, Bengaluru, managed by ECHO – Centre for Juvenile Justice, celebrated its 15th Anniversary on 26 October 2026, marking fifteen years of dedicated service in the care, reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of children in conflict with law. The programme was graced by Hon’ble Justice Shri S. Sunil Dutt Yadav, Chairperson, Juvenile Justice Committee and Judge, High Court of Karnataka, as the Chief Guest. The other dignitaries on the dais included Shri Shashidhar Shetty, Member Secretary, Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA); Shri Sonykutty George, Child Rights Specialist, UNICEF India; Dr. Shekhar Seshadri, Senior Child Psychiatrist and Former Head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NIMHANS; Dr. Francis Kodiyan, National President, Prison Ministry India; and Adv. Dr. Antony Sebastion, Founder Director, ECHO and Former Chairperson, Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
The programme included a walkthrough of the institution, interaction with children, experience-sharing by former residents, screening of a documentary on the Special Home and a thematic performance by the children. Shri Sonykutty George, delivered the inaugural address, highlighting the importance of the Special Home’s rehabilitation model and the need to replicate effective practices across the country.
A key highlight of the celebration was the presentation of the fifteen-year journey by Adv. Dr. Biju Thomas, Superintendent. In his address, Hon’ble Justice Shri S. Sunil Dutt Yadav appreciated the dedicated efforts of the Special Home staff. His words “…the experience with what I have seen who were earlier in this center and have now come out and become successful people and these are the role models for the others… it is not the bridges and roads that we build, but it’s the students and the young minds that we shape, that result in the country standing on a strong foundation”
