HC asks Disability Commissioner to file reply by Jan 24

Mumbai, Jan 10 (UNI) The Bombay High Court today asked Maharashtra Disability Commissioner to state whether he could recommend reserving certain government jobs for totally blind candidates.

It even sought to know if it was feasible to reserve 50 per cent of jobs out of one per cent reservation for blind candidates -- for totally blind persons and asked to file the reply by January 24.

Division bench of Justices H L Gokhle and V M Kanade was hearing a PIL filed by Koregaon-based NGO Satyashodh in which it stated that while filling up one per cent vacancies reserved for blind candidates, partially blind candidates were favoured.

As per the Persons with Disability Act, a total of three per cent jobs in the government and government-aided institutions are reserved for disabled candidates. In the three per cent quota, again one per cent jobs are reserved for the blind.

Petitioners' counsel Udya Warunjkar contended that since the term 'blind' under the Act included both partially as well totally blind candidates, in the appointments, totally blind ones used to lose out.

He quoted statistics obtained from Satara District authorities, according to which only one totally blind person was appointed under the quota for disabled persons in the last ten years.

UNI