Nursery admission for disabled: HC seeks Centre's stand

The Delhi High Court today sought the Centre's stand on whether the schools here still have the discretion to provide seats in the nursery class to disabled kids despite the Lt Governor's guidelines clubbing them with children of economically weaker groups (EWS).
A bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and R V Easwar gave time till tomorrow to the central government to make its stand clear after it submitted that it is Delhi government which has to make guidelines for providing any benefit to disabled kids.
The Centre said Delhi government has enough "elbow room" to make the guidelines and schools still have the discretionary power vis-a-vis admission of disabled kids, despite the LG's order.

The court questioned the Centre's submission saying "no elbow room is visible" under the guidelines or the Persons with Disabilities Act.
The bench also said if no proper guidelines are framed for providing relief to disabled students, the "discretionary approach" of schools will get an "escape route".
"If you (Centre and Delhi governments) don't come out with guidelines, it could lead to an escape route to the discretionary approach of schools," the bench said and kept the matter for tomorrow after the counsel, appearing for the Centre, said its officials would be present in the court to explain the government's stand.

"We will keep this tomorrow then," the court said.
The bench was hearing a PIL, by Pramod Arora, father of a child with special needs, challenging the LG's nursery admission guidelines to the extent it clubs disabled children with kids from EWS group.
His petition also seeks 3 per cent reservation for disabled kids in the nursery class.