HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Hyderabad High Court headed by Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan will hear a PIL case seeking rehabilitation support to the victims of child marriages in Telangana.The case is based on a letter addressed to High Court Chief Justice by B Mahalatha and 10 other child marriage victims stating that due to the childhood marriages, they were suffering from various health problems. While a few were dying during pregnancy and delivery, a few were giving birth to low-weight babies.
As there are no shelter homes where they can go after being rescued, they are forced to go back to their own families who treat them as burden and subject them to abuse. Even though some family members support the victims to continue their education, there are no special reservations or provisions to help them.
They wanted the court to direct the state government to extend some reservations in educational institutions, vocational training programmes to the victims, extra food distribution to them and their children through ICDS, free legal aid and counselling, three per cent reservation in government jobs and special health coverage plans.Telangana state chief secretary, principal secretary to women and child welfare, principal secretary to medical and health and others concerned were named as the respondents. The PIL is expected to come up for hearing on Feb 6.