The Punjab & Haryana High Court on Monday, 11 July, reprimanded the Haryana government for not providing enough "infrastructural support" for the education of children with disabilities.
The court pulled up the government, while hearing a petition filed by a woman and her 16-year-old son with Down Syndrome, who was allegedly "maligned and expelled" from Little Flower Public School after the institution's principal changed.
It directed the Advocate Generals of both Haryana and Punjab as well as the senior standing counsel for Chandigarh to assist the court in making the education system more inclusive and responsive when it came to children with disabilities, The Indian Express reported.
The matter is now scheduled to be heard on 15 July.
What Happened to the 16-Year-Old?
Justice Sudhir Mittal was hearing a petition filed by 16-year-old Mehtab with ‘Down Syndrome’ – a genetic disorder which is caused by abnormalities in chromosomes which causes developmental and intellectual delays – and his mother.
The mother moved the HC in 2019 stating that her son had been studying in a special wing of Little Flower Public School for the past five years.
Advocate Parunjeet Singh, Mehtab’s counsel, told the court that despite his client’s disability, Mehtab was an excellent sportsman and had won medals in roller skating and swimming at state and national-level competitions for special children. Till May 2019, he faced no problems at school.
However, when the principal and the special needs instructor quit the school, the new principal was informed via a presentation that the track record of the school dropped after the previous special needs instructor left the school.
The new principal, who did not take the presentation well, reportedly conspired with special educators to malign Mehtab's reputation which eventually led to him being expelled, his counsel claimed.
The school alleged that Mehtab’s unruly and violent behaviour was the cause of the forceful removal from the school.
(With inputs from The Indian Express.)
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