NEW DELHI: A public interest litigation was filed in the
Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking judicial intervention in ensuring right to life, right to education and right to equality specifically for children who are orphans and all “children in need of care and protection.”
The
PIL seeks reservation for orphan children – who are as deserving as any
OBC or the third gender to whom the Supreme Court has recently extended its support. “The same or more financial, educational and empowerment support be given to orphan children as what is given by the government to various categories of children who have parents,” says the petition.
The petitioner, 25-year old law graduate
Poulomi Pavini, claims to have visited over fifty orphanages in eight states before filing the PIL. She has also co-authored a book, titled “Weakest on Earth – Orphans of India” that was published in November 2015.
She has also sought that an official census or survey be conducted to have an official estimate of the extent of the ‘Children in Need of Care and Protection problem’ in India. The writ petition opens with the appeal seeking justice for 20 million “weakest Indian citizens: orphans and children in need of care and protection”