The State government on Wednesday informed the Kerala High Court that immediate steps were being taken to finalise the rules of guidelines to regulate therapy centres for children with neurological disabilities.
The government further submitted that the draft rules, after incorporating suggestions, had to be placed before the subject committee. In the absence of the rules, the guidelines would not have the force of law. The rules could not be finalised without the approval of the subject committee.
The submission was made in response to a writ petition seeking to implement the recommendations of the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights that guidelines be framed to regulate the therapy centres for children with autism, spectrum disorder and other neurological disabilities in terms of the provisions of the Right of Persons with Disabilities Act. The petitioners pointed out that children were extremely vulnerable to abuse by the therapy centres as there was no uniform policy to regulate the centres.
