This document provides information about the 5th Independent Thought National Legal Essay Competition on the theme of "Mental Health – Locating Rights of Children!". It seeks 5000 word essays from law students on issues at the intersection of mental health and child rights in India. These issues include pending legislation like the Mental Health Care Bill, 2013 and Rights of Persons with Disability Bill, 2012. The competition aims to generate discussion on the rights of children with mental disabilities or special needs and promote participation from legal minds in nation building. The top three essays will receive cash prizes and the top fifteen will be published in a law digest.

1. 2016
5th Independent Thought National
Legal Essay Competition
Rationale and Background
Generating Independent Thoughts since 2012
Since it’s inception in 2012, Independent Thought Annual Legal
Essay Competition has generated dialogue on following Child
Rights issues
2015 – Does allowing child labour at home dilutes a child’s
constitutional right to education
2014 – Marital Rape within prohibited child marriages
2013 – Age of Criminal Responsibility
2012 – Protection of Children from Sexual Offensees-
Law and Effectiveness
Citizens play vital role in diverse ways towards strengthening democratic framework of the Nation,
established legal system and rule of law. This is imperative for giving life to the hidden spirit of
the opening phrase of Indian Constitution “WE, the People of India”. While elections come and go;
children issues remain unheard, as they don’t vote. Issues of State failure marring growth of children
get overlooked. Independent Thought presents a platform to young and promising legal minds to
participate in nation-building process.
The Mental Health Care Bill, 2013 and the Rights of Persons with Disability Bill, 2012 are still pending
in the Parliament. This delay is depriving lakhs of children with special needs (CWSN) and care
givers of their entitlements and social dignity. The 2016 Independent Thought Annual Legal Essay
Competition attempts to bring together 2 of the least understood and even less discussed issues of
our society viz Mental Health and Child Rights and hopes to generate discussion on the proverbial
elephants in our room.
Important Instructions
• Essays in English of upto 5000 words with an abstract of 300 words
• Details of author including full name, phone numbers, email id, postal address,
name of college, current year of study and course name and number of words
in the essay should be submitted with the essay. Entries submitted without
personal information will not be accepted
• Format and Font: MS Word format, Times Roman font, 12 font size, 1”margin,
with 1.5” spacing
• Standard citations, footnotes and references (not included in the word limit)
Detection of plagiarism will lead to elimination
Panel of Judges
• Dr. Mohan Agashe, Senior Psychiatrist and Film Actor
• Dr. Manoj Kumar Sinha, Director, Indian Law Institute (ILI), New Delhi
• Dr. Nimesh Desai, Former Director, Institute for Human Development and
Allied Services (IBHAS)
• Dr. S Haque Nizamie, Former Director, Central Institute of Psychiatry
• Mr. Vikram Dutt, Professor and Principal Academics, Delhi
Metropolitan Education
• Dr. Alok Kumar Bhuwan, Managing Secretary, Manovikas
• Mr. Vikram Srivastava, Advocate and Founder, Independent Thought
Last Date for Submission: 30th
Sep 2016 | Queries: essay.ithought@gmail.com
Declaration Best Thoughts: 10th
December 2016 | Further Details: www.ithought.in
Independent Thought (iThought – www.ithought.in) is a National Human Rights organization
working towards equity, justice and mutual respect. We work on human right and law through direct
Intervention, advocacy, judicial actions and provide technical and hand-holding support to non
government, government and multilateral Funding, Policy, Research and Grassroots organizations in
several states of India. We offer Internship opportunities on Child Rights and Human Rights Law.
Technical Partner –
Manovikas Charitable Society
www.manovikas.co.in
Data suggest that in India 1.67% of the 0-19 population have some form of disability. 35.29%
of all people living with disabilities are children. Only 1% of children with disabilities have
access to school and one third of most disabilities are preventable. According to Census 2011,
among the five types of disabilities (i.e: seeing, movement, hearing, speech and mental) on which
data has been collected, total population of people with mental disability counts for 10.3%.
Children with disabilities are one of the most marginalized and excluded groups. Facing daily
discrimination in the form of negative attitudes, they are effectively barred from realizing their
rights to healthcare, education, and even survival. Though mental health has been added into
census in 2011, but ensuring the required services to this category is still a huge challenge. It
has been recommended by the experts that if early identification and intervention will be done
of children with mental disability; they will be self-sustained on their own. But despite various
act, rules regulations, policy and program on disability, mental health is still an area with least
attention. The best example is delay in approval of Mental Health care bill.
The issues which may be touched upon in the
essay
• UnitedNationConventionontheRightsofPersonswithDisabilities
• United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child (UNCRC)
• National Mental Health Programme (NMHP)
• Rights of Persons with Disabilities Bill, 2012 (Draft)
• Mental Health Bill, 2013
• Rules and Regulations and Policies for persons with disabilities
Participation,RecognitionandEncouragement
All students who have an interest in Law, Development and Human
Rights are invited to participate in the competition. The essay
competition is widely publicized in all National Law Schools, Private
Law Schools, and Departments of Law of different Universities across
the Country.
• The Three Best Thoughts are provided with cash prizes.
Best Thought Rs. 10,000/-
Second Best Thought Rs. 8,000/-
Third Best Thought Rs. 5,000/-
• The fifteen Best Thoughts will get Certificate of Participation.
• The fifteen Best Thoughts will be published as Independent
Thought Law Digest 2016 (ISBN number 978-81-928280-5-3)
Theme for the Year 2016
Mental Health – Locating Rights of Children!
Ongoing Public Interest Litigation on Child Rights Law
o PIL – Independent Thought vs. Union of India [W.P. Civil 4678 of 2016] in Hon’ble High
Court of Delhi] against rampant violation by private hospitals and seeking issuance of necessary
appropriate guidelines for Caesarian section operations in India.
o PIL – Independent Thought vs. Union of India [WP Civil 8763 of 2015] in Delhi High Court;
challenging exclusion of Government Schools from adherence of norms and standards and
obtaining a certificate of recognition as Unconstitutional, as under Section 18(1), RTE Act, 2009.
o PIL – Independent Thought vs. Union of India [W.P. Civil 382 of 2013] before Supreme Court
of India; for declaration of Exception 2 to Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code, allowing martial
rape within child marriages as unconstitutional.
Legal Essay Competition_Poster_30 June 16.indd 1 7/1/2016 10:22:33 AM