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The Supreme Court connected Tuesday (June 16, 2026) issued announcement connected a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking monitoring and oversight of rehabilitation centres, kid improvement centres and intelligence wellness establishments catering to children with disabilities.
A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice V. Mohana passed the bid portion proceeding a petition filed by disablement rights lawyer Rahul Bajaj and kid rights activistic Zaheer Abbas Jan. Observing that the substance raises important issues, the Bench said it required information “on priority”.
Highlighting that the information of rehabilitation centres for children with disabilities reflects a “significant gap” betwixt legislative intent and implementation, the petition contended that statutory safeguards nether the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) Act, 1992, and the Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA), 2017, are often not complied with. As a result, children are often denied indispensable therapies owing to a shortage of trained personnel, portion inadequate supervision and neglect exposure them to unsafe conditions.
The petition besides pointed retired that the MHCA requires States to prescribe minimum prime standards for intelligence wellness establishments catering to children with intelligence illnesses. However, it states that lone 5 States and Union Territories person framed specified standards truthful far.
“...Unregulated therapeutic assessments, abrupt discontinuation of therapy services and coercive behaviour by rehabilitation institutions straight undermine the champion interests, developmental rights and dignity of children with disabilities,” the petition states.
The tribunal was further apprised that the petitioners had received complaints from parents alleging that definite intelligence wellness institutions made “false promises” of “curing” conditions specified arsenic autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), portion charging exorbitant fees without immoderate technological basis.
The petition besides refers to a ailment from a genitor successful Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag territory alleging the unauthorised usage of children’s photographs and videos by rehabilitation centres without parental consent. According to the petitioners, specified complaints constituent to “systemic deficiencies”, including the engagement of unqualified professionals and the lack of capable transparency and accountability mechanisms.
“The lack of timely therapeutic interventions for children astatine a important signifier of their improvement has profound semipermanent consequences, undermining their close to a dignified beingness nether Article 21 and their close to acquisition nether Article 21-A of the Constitution,” the petition states.
It further contends that the law warrant of dignity nether Article 21 requires therapeutic assessments and rehabilitation interventions for children with disabilities to beryllium “individualised, evidence-based and escaped from stereotypical oregon unscientific assumptions”.
Accordingly, the apical tribunal has been asked to contented directions to State governments to enforce statutory safeguards governing the registration and inspection of intelligence wellness establishments and prescribe minimum prime standards for intelligence wellness services.
The petitioners person besides sought directions to each States and Union Territories to enactment successful spot a time-bound mechanics for the registration of intelligence wellness professionals.
