Dear All,

I invite your attention to a case FIRM had filed in the High Court of Kerala challenging the discrimination meted out to HIV +ve children at MDLP School in Pambady in Kottayam in Kerala, two months back. FIRM has won the case.

The school management and the Parent Teacher’s Association had thrown five HIV+ve children from school because of their HIV status. The issue, in fact , came to light in December 2006. At that time FIRM had intervened, and the issue was settled.

This year when the classes reopened, the same issue cropped up again in the same school against the very same children in a more organized way.

That was when FIRM decided that conscientization programmes alone would not bring justice to the HIV +ve children.

FIRM moved the High Court seeking direction to the management to allow children to continue studies without any discrimination.

On July 3,2007, a Division Bench of the High Court  consisting of Chief Justice H.L. Dattu and Justice Harun-Ul- Rasheed closed the case after recording the written statement of  the management that they would allow the children to do their schooling in the same school without  any discrimination.

The court also put it on record that the petitioner (FIRM) is free to approach the court again if the management does any act of discrimination against the children.

Press cutting of The Hindu, dated July4, 2007 is scanned and reproduced .


J. Rajasekharan Nair
Secretary
FIRM

FOUNDATION FOR INTEGRATED RESEARCH IN MENTAL HEALTH (FIRM)
BHASKAR LANE, PATTOM
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
KERALA, INDIA
PIN 695 004
TEL:(0471)3266114, 2530758