Disabled child denied admission: Delhi High Court steps in

Legal notices have been issued to the school and Directorate of Education

Disabled child denied admission: Delhi High Court steps in

Legal notices have been issued to the school and Directorate of Education

After MiD DAY reported about the sheer apathy of Sardar Patel Vidyalaya (SPV), a public school located in Lodhi Estate, Delhi in denying nursery admission to a five-year-old disabled child, the Delhi High Court has issued a legal notice to the school as well as to the Directorate of Education (DoE).

Aditya Birmani at his residence at Mayur Vihar, in east Delhi. File pic

As the school has failed to comply with the RTE (Right to Education) Act, 2009, the Delhi High Court has directed the DoE to hold an inquiry into the matter and submit its report to the court by March 10.u00a0 The HC ruled the act of the school administration as 'illegal, arbitrary, discriminatory, unjustified and unconstitutional'.

Five-year-old Aditya Birmani, a resident of Mayur Vihar, Phase II, who is 75 per cent disabled, was not granted admission by SPV on the ground that the school does not recognise any criteria for the disabled. Though the school authorities had flatly denied any such occurrence, the court has asked them to send a written explanation of the matter by the 10th of March.

"My son still has no school to go to. I had filed a complaint for the school not considering my son's admission form and telling us to get him admitted to a school for handicap children instead. Even after the court has issued the school a notice, it is uncertain how many more days will it take for the matter to resolve," said Akshitz Birmani, father of the child, who is a self-employed businessman. "All we want is our son to get into a school and enjoy the same benefits of education as other kids do." added Birmani. The school administration is mum on the issue.