PIL in HC claims Rlys discriminating against employees' adopted children in giving med benefits

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought response of the Centre on a PIL alleging that the Railways was "discriminating" against adopted children of its employees by providing medical benefits to only the first adopted child, whereas there is no such restriction in the case of biological kids.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to the ministries of Railways and Health and sought their stands on the plea by an NGO which has sought a direction to the Indian Railways to extend medical benefits to all and any number of adopted children of its employees.

NGO Families of Joy Foundation, in its petition, has said that in September, 2000 the Indian Railways had amended its medical manual with regard to the definition of family members and dependent relatives who could claim medical benefits, including reimbursement of treatment costs, by limiting the number of adopted children who could avail the benefits to one.

It has contended that such kind of a policy was "patently discriminatory against adopted children".

The petition has referred to an August, 2019 news report regarding a female Railway employee who had requested for Unique Medical Identity Card for both her adopted children but the benefit was not provided to her second adopted child.

It has contended that such kind of distinction between adopted and biological children was "arbitrary and unreasonable".