New Delhi, Mar 3: The Supreme Court delivered a landmark ruling on Monday, stating that visually impaired individuals should not be excluded from employment opportunities within judicial services.
A bench led by Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan had reserved the judgment pertaining to six petitions, including a suo motu case, on December 3 of the previous year concerning the lack of quota for such candidates in judicial positions in certain states.
Join Daily Excelsior on WhatsApp for the Latest News
In delivering the verdict, Justice Mahadevan emphasized that individuals with disabilities must not experience discrimination while seeking judicial service roles. He urged the State to provide affirmative action that fosters an inclusive environment.
“Any indirect discrimination that leads to the exclusion of persons with disabilities, whether through cutoff criteria or procedural obstacles, must be addressed to ensure substantive equality,” the judge stated. The ruling emphasized that no candidate should be disqualified from consideration solely based on their disability.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court annulled certain provisions of the Madhya Pradesh Services Examination (Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules of 1994 that prevented visually impaired and low-vision candidates from accessing judicial service roles.
The petitions challenged the validity of Rules 6A and 7 of the Madhya Pradesh regulations.
Candidates with disabilities who participated in the selection process are now entitled to be considered for judicial service positions in accordance with the ruling, and they can be appointed to any vacant positions if they meet the eligibility criteria.
A detailed judgment is forthcoming. On November 7 of the previous year, the bench issued directives aimed at ensuring equitable opportunities for individuals with benchmark disabilities (PwBD) in judicial services nationwide. (Agencies)
