Transformed My Worldview: CJI DY Chandrachud On Parenting Kids With Disabilities

"My daughters transformed how I see the world," said Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, as he recently spoke at an event about raising children with disabilities. At the recent National Consultation Stakeholders Consultation on ‘Protecting the Rights of Children Living with Disability and Intersectionality of Disabilities’, CJI Chandrachud opened up about the challenges they have overcome and how their strength impacts him and his wife, Kalpana. The event was organised by the Juvenile Justice Committee of the Supreme Court.

CJI Chandrachud On Being Caregiver To Children With Disability

CJI Chandrachud's daughters Mahi, 18, and Priyanka, 22, reportedly have nemaline myopathy, a rare condition that affects skeletal muscles. In his speech, CJI Chandrachud said, "There is an absence of knowledge about myopathy among doctors, caregivers, and certainly, on the part of the parents." 

He added that there are no proper testing facilities for the condition, even at many reputed institutes in India. "Everyone lives with a feeling of self-denial. The families where the children are born feel nothing is wrong with them." He recalled some of their daughters' most difficult moments they witnessed.

"We were told that the diagnostic test is so invasive and painful that they would remove a part of the tissue from the child without anaesthesia," CJI Chandrachud recalled. "It’s so terribly painful. I still remember the time the test was done for both children. After the older child underwent the test, all that she could say in that sense of pain, suffering from the test — ‘don’t allow my sister to go through the test’."

CJI Chandrachud also recounted the struggle to find a school for his daughters and spoke about the challenges faced by children with disabilities in India. From facing social discrimination to inaccessible resources, he touched on the numerous struggles that hinder the dreams of India's specially-abled students.

All About CJI DY Chandrachud And His Family

CJI DY Chandrachud was born to Yeshwant Vishnu Chandrachud, the longest-serving Chief Justice in the history of India, and Prabha, a classical singer. A graduate of Mathematics and Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, he went on to pursue a career in law. 

He obtained a Bachelor of Laws from Delhi University and a Master of Laws from Harvard Law School. CJI Chandrachud also completed a Doctorate of Juridical Science from Harvard in 1986, which focused on the various aspects of affirmative legal action.

He joined the Supreme Court in 2016 and became the CJI in November 2022. He was recommended to be the 50th CJI by CJI UU Lalit at a gathering in the presence of all Supreme Court judges. DY Chandrachud and YV Chandrachud are the only father-son duo to serve as the CJI. 

CJI Chandrachud’s first spouse Rashmi died from cancer in 2007. A few years later, he married fellow lawyer Kalpana Das. The couple then became adoptive parents to Mahi and Priyanka. CJI Chandrachud also has two sons, lawyers Abhinav and Chintan, from his first spouse.