For Ritik, a 16-year-old differently-abled Delhi boy, painting has always been a passion. Despite being born with deformed arms, this class XII student has been using paintbrushes with his feet and has won many prizes at school level competitions. Recently, he became the first student in India to get prosthetic limbs from the government under Right to Education 2009.
He was born with bilateral elbow disarticulation, a congenital deficiency. His five-member family lives in old Delhi’s Sadar Bazar. Since his father Mahender, a small time caterer with meagre earnings, is the sole breadwinner of the family, the family could never procure prosthetic arms for their youngest child. But it was when they met Ashok Aggarwal, a lawyer-activist, they found a new ray of hope. Aggarwal filed a PIL in the high court after which Delhi government was directed to procure a pair of prosthetic arms for the child.
Ritik, before getting a prosthetic arm
“I first heard about prosthetic arms two years ago. When I approached a hospital, they demanded Rs 10 lakh for both limbs. I was heartbroken as it was impossible for us to collect that amount,” his mother Usha said.
“Things would have been better if I was working. But after Ritik was born, I became a stay-at-home mother to look after him,” she added, saying that she used to work as a tailor.
The family consulted many hospitals but couldn’t find a suitable one which could provide them prosthetics at a reasonable cost. “We faced rejections everywhere but I was determined to get artificial limbs for my child,” she said.
Ritik with advocate Ashok Aggarwal
But things turned around for them when Usha met Ashok Aggarwal at Tiz Hazari court on the recommendation of another lawyer. When he knew about her struggle to get prosthetics for their child, he offered to help them.
“I first studied about prosthesis and the procedure to implant artificial limbs on a human body as I didn’t have much information about it. I wrote to both Centre as the state government on the family’s behalf seeking help. But when nothing worked, I decided to take the matter legally,” he said.
Aggarwal filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Delhi high court and cited Right To Education along with Section 17 (g) – Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
The Section 17 (g) stipulates that the appropriate government and the local authorities shall take measure for providing books, other learning materials and “appropriate assistive devices” to students with benchmark disabilities free of cost up to the age of 18.
In October 2017, the court passed a judgement in their favour and Delhi government was directed to procure prosthesis for the child within two months. Delhi’s Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital procured the pair for Rs 6 lakh from VIMHANS. The whole process took many months as there were some procedural delays. On 23rd June, Ritik got a prosthetic arm on his right side. The hospital has promised to fix the other arm in another 15 days.
Ritik, with a prosthetic right arm
“I cannot stop thanking Ashok sir for whatever he did for us. I hope this case sets an example for others to follow,” she said. And for Ritik, he hasn’t been able to control his happiness since he got a new arm.
“He has already begun practising with his new arm. He is now more than hopeful of his dream to become a painter,” Usha revealed.
