"Policies Cannot Only Be For Mainstream": CJI Chandrachud Calls For Govt. Support For Differently Abled
DY Chandrachud, the Chief Justice of India, said his daughters – who are suffering from autism -have transformed how he perceive the world. The CJI shared how difficult it was for him to find a proper education facility for them, as they were autistic. He was speaking at the 9th Annual National Stakeholders Consultation on ‘Protecting the Rights of Children living with Disability, and Intersectionality of Disabilities, conducted by Juvenile Justice Committee, Supreme Court of India.
Pointing at India’s move towards accessible medicine. The CJI pointed out that, policies have to be part of national policy guided and supported by govt. Policies cannot be only for the mainstream, as the differently abled children are also very capable of everything best.
He said “they have minds of their own, individualities of their own”.
Sharing instance from his own life, Justice Chandrachud said there is great change in transformative potential in children with disabilities. He recalled when his 9-year-old daughter was attending online class during Covid 19 pandemic. “During covid times when school was shut and it was all virtual. Our little Mahi (daughter) who was 9 years old suddenly heard the sound of electric woodcutter. She said can I leave the class for a minute because I think a tree is being cut in the garden. Teacher said yes but be back. When she went out she saw horticulture department pruning the trees to make it look nice. She went running in her wheelchair and said these trees are homes, they have nests, and they are the homes for the birds who come here and if you cut they have no place to survive… hey are just not children who are in need of care and protection but they have the ability to transform others”, the chief justice added.
CJI: Four key postulates demand our attention in the present time:
1. Recognising the problem: how can we address a problem we barely recognise. There is absence of reliable data concerning children with disabilities and especially the ones who meet with sexual violence and…
— Bar and Bench (@barandbench) September 28, 2024
The Chief Justice also shared four postulates that demand attention. He said humour on disabled should not target their condition by being pejorative.
