SC says orphans must be considered part of ‘disadvantaged groups’

The Supreme Court on Wednesday held that orphaned children must be considered part of “disadvantaged groups” under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009, making them eligible for admission under the 25% quota in all aided, unaided and special category schools.

- Utkarsh Anand

The top court also urged the Union government to count orphaned children in the upcoming 2027 census by including a separate category for them.

A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and KV Viswanathan directed all states and Union territories to issue notifications within four weeks clarifying that the term “child belonging to disadvantaged groups”, as defined in Section 2(d) of the Act, also includes orphaned children.