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Five families from the Latika Roy Foundation’s (LRF) Center for Vocational Training (CVT) received legal guardianship for their children this month. Praveen Kumar Sharma, father of Mudit, 30, and one of the parents who acquired legal guardianship said, “It’s very important for us to acquire legal guardianship of our children because it’s useful later on. The briefing at LRF was excellent. The whole process and documentation required were explained to us very thoroughly”.

Although the National Trust Act, 1999, allows disabled individuals above the age of 18 to have a legal guardian to safeguard themselves, their interests, finances or properties, many families are unaware of this entitlement. Many of those who are hesitant to navigate the process since it involves acquiring and uploading documentation, and bureaucratic intervention.

Rizwan Ali, our legal expert breaks down the process, which usually takes between three and four months, as follows:

  • Acquire the documents you need: Aadhar cards and photo IDs (of the individual and proposed guardian), disability certificate, consent of the prevailing and proposed guardians in the requisite format.
  • Fill in the form: Download the legal guardianship form here. Fill it in and upload it here.
  • Submit the documents to the authorities: After completing the online documentation, the proposed guardian must hand over a hard copy of the form and other documents at their district social welfare office. In Dehradun, this is the District Social Welfare Officer’s office near Survey Chowk.
  • Meet the District Magistrate (DM): Upon reviewing the documents, the proposed guardian and disabled adult must await an appointment with a Local Level Committee (LLC) at the DM’s office, where they will receive the legal guardianship certificate. In Dehradun, the DM’s office is in the court campus. Although LLC meetings should take place every three months, they’re more often set up at the DM’s discretion.

The Latika Roy Foundation conducts quarterly workshops to orient parents to the legal guardianship process, help them acquire documentation, fill in the online forms and engage with the local authorities.

For more information or free assistance with any step of the legal guardianship process, please call 0135-2761014 or email contact@latikaroy.org with ‘Legal Guardianship’ in the subject line. We’re here to help!

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