HYDERABAD: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued conditional summons to the District Collectors of Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri in connection with the 2021 suspicious death of a 14-year-old disabled girl who was under institutional care in Telangana. The action follows the failure of the two district administrations to submit enquiry reports despite repeated directions from the Commission.
The NHRC has directed both Collectors to appear before the Commission at 11:30 AM on October 22, 2026, along with the requisite enquiry reports. However, their personal appearance will be dispensed with if the reports are submitted on or before October 15, 2026.
The matter was taken up by the NHRC following a petition filed by the Hyderabad-based Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF). In February 2026, the Commission considered the petition and subsequently issued notices to the District Collectors of Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri in February and March, directing them to submit reports concerning the matter. According to the proceedings, despite the notices and sufficient time being provided, the required reports were not submitted.
Taking note of the non-compliance, the Bench of the NHRC presided over by Shri Priyank Kanoongo, Hon’ble Member, issued conditional summons to both Collectors under Section 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. The Collectors have now been directed to appear before the Commission on October 22, 2026, and produce the requisite enquiry reports.
What Happened in 2021?
As per the petition filed by the Legal Rights Protection Forum (LRPF) before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the case relates to the death of Jahnavi, a 14-year-old girl with disabilities, who was initially under the care of MV Foundation in Hyderabad. According to the complaint submitted by the then Hyderabad District Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Chairperson, Smt. G. Shailaja, and the FIR subsequently registered by the police, Jahnavi was formally shifted by the CWC to Home for Disabled, Jeera, Secunderabad, on March 17, 2021. The complaint states that she was subsequently shifted from the Secunderabad facility to another unit of the organisation at Sampenbolle village, Shamirpet Mandal, without following the prescribed procedure and without informing the concerned Child Welfare Committees.
On June 7, 2021, the CWC Chairperson and another member reportedly visited the Jeera facility after receiving information about the girl’s death. According to the complaint, Jahnavi had died under suspicious circumstances at the organisation’s Shamirpet facility. The complaint further stated that her body was subsequently brought to Bhoiguda, Secunderabad, and that the funeral was conducted without informing the CWC or police authorities about her death. It also recorded that the organisation failed to produce the deceased girl’s health records when the CWC members inspected the facility. The complaint further raised questions regarding the manner in which the body was disposed of, including the fact that it was cremated rather than buried.
Following the complaint, Gandhinagar Police Station registered Zero FIR No. 01/2021 on June 7, 2021, under Section 176(1)(A) of the Cr.P.C. The case was subsequently transferred to Shamirpet Police Station under the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate for further investigation.
FCRA Registration and Renewal
The case has also brought the regulatory status of Home for Disabled into focus. According to NGO records cited by LRPF, the organisation is registered as a society under Registration No. 197-42 of 1942 and has an FCRA registration bearing No. 010230015. LRPF has stated that the organisation’s FCRA registration was renewed in 2022 and remains valid up to 2027.
The organisation’s FCRA status has become relevant to the matter because the institution operates facilities providing institutional care while also being registered to receive foreign contributions under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act.
LRPF Seeks Independent Investigation
The Legal Rights Protection Forum approached the NHRC seeking intervention in the matter and requested the Telangana Government to order an independent investigation or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death and the events preceding and following it.
The latest NHRC proceedings have brought the 2021 case back into focus, particularly the circumstances surrounding the girl’s transfer between institutional facilities, the handling of her death, the role of child-protection authorities, the subsequent regulatory oversight of the institution, and the failure of the concerned district authorities to submit reports despite repeated directions from the NHRC.
About Home for the Disabled
Home for the Disabled, located at Jeera in Bansilalpet, Secunderabad, is a long-standing institution providing shelter, medical care, rehabilitation and other support to persons with disabilities and destitute persons. According to the organisation, it has been serving people in need for several decades and operates facilities at Jeera, Bansilalpet and Sampenbolle.
The institution has a documented association with Catholic religious congregations. The Archdiocese of Hyderabad states that the Sisters of St. Ann of Providence have been associated with the Home since 1934. The organisation’s website identifies Fr. M. Xavier, SVD, a priest of the Society of the Divine Word, as its Secretary and Executive Director. The Archdiocese also records that the Little Sisters of Jesus Christ have been working with the Home’s Sampenbolle Extension Unit since 2013.
Publicly available NGO records list Home for the Disabled as a registered society under Registration No. 197-42, dating back to 1942, and as registered under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act.
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