News

Volume 2 Issue 8 - April 15, 2004

High Court orders report on disability bar

DNIS News Network -- The Union Government has failed to meet yet another deadline from the High Court to explain why it is denying entry to the Indian Administrative Service for qualified disabled candidates.

The court had previously issued a deadline of April 7 for the relevant government departments to supply the required information but the Department of Personnel and Training and the Ministry of Social Justice both failed to reply by that time.

Before the 1995 Disability Act, disabled candidates were admitted to the IAS and there are several serving IAS employees with disabilities, some 12 of whom now hold senior government positions. Ironically, since the passing of the equal opportunities act, disabled candidates have been denied entry to the service. The High court is seeking an explanation of why such candidates are excluded, when there is a 3% reservation for disabled candidates. It also pointed out the anomaly of candidates being allowed to sit the entrance exam but denied jobs when they prove successful.

Disability rights campaigner Javed Abidi asked the court to look at the case of Ravi Arora, a visually disabled candidate who was allowed to complete the entrance exam in Braille but was then denied a job because of his disability: "If you are not taking them, why is the UPSC conducting exams in Braille? What is the point?"