Below 1% quota for visually impaired; centre told to respond

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Centre and others on a PIL seeking quashing of an examination notice of UPSC for the upcoming Civil Services Examination on the ground of non-compliance of 1% quota for visually impaired applicants.

The bench headed by Chief Justice G Rohini also sought responses within four weeks from the Union Public Service Commission and Department of Personnel and Training on the petition filed by NGO Sambhavana, which works for disabled persons.

The court, which refused to pass any interim order, has now posted the matter for hearing on July 30.

The petition has also sought a direction to the Centre and the UPSC for issuing a fresh vacancy notice by providing 3% reservation for persons with disabilities to 1% each of the categories recognised in Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995.

"Issue a writ... to equally bifurcate vacancies among the categories of Persons with Disabilities 1% each in terms of law for different categories of disabled persons," the plea said.

It also sought guidelines for providing scribes to visually impaired persons and extra 20 minutes per hour for answering the questions. "Issue a writ... directing the Respondent No 3 (Department of Personnel and Training) not to indulge in any recruitment process which has been or shall be undertaken violating the provisions under Persons with Disabilities Act 1995...," the NGO, in its plea filed through lawyer Pankaj Sinha, said.

The petition said that out of 1291, only 26 vacancies were reserved for persons with different disabilities and only two vacancies were reserved for candidates with vision impairment despite having an "unequivocal and clear statutory provision" of 1% reservation.