Sikh Couple Win Landmark Racial Discrimination Adoption Case (Huffington Post)

“Sandeep and Reena Mander were forced to adopt from overseas after Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council rejected in 2016 their application to join a register of approved adopters because of their Indian ancestry.

Following a four-day hearing at Oxford County Court, Judge Melissa Clarke ruled in their favour and ordered the council to pay them general damages of £29,454.42 each and special damages totalling £60,013.43 for the cost of adopting a child overseas.

She said: “I find that the defendants directly discriminated against Mr and Mrs Mander on the grounds of race.

“This decision ensures that no matter what race, religion or colour you are, you should be treated equally and assessed for adoption in the same way as any other prospective adopter,” Mr Mander, a vice-president of sales at an IT company, said.

The couple’s lawyer, Georgina Calvert-Lee, said: “Today’s judgment is a victory for all British children who need loving adoptive homes, and for all the eligible, loving adoptive British families hoping to welcome them into their lives.”