SC wants 3% job quota for visually challenged and hearing impaired

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Visually challenged, hearing impaired and physically handicapped persons can soon expect the Centre to advertise a large number of
vacancies for jobs in various departments of the government.

For, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre what was holding it back from identifying and filling posts reserved under the Persons with Disabilities Act, which was enacted in 1995 mandating a job quota of 1% each for visually challenged, hearing impaired and physically handicapped.

Though it did no agree with the petitioner's counsel Mukul Rohtagi that 3% of the total cadre strength of each department should be filled with these three categories of handicapped persons, the Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan said it had no quarrel with the proposition that they should have got 3% of the vacancies declared since 1996, when rules under the Act were framed.

However, it expressed displeasure over the fact that the government had not acted in accordance with the mandate of the Act in identifying posts in each department and giving 3% reservation to the categories mentioned in the Act.

Appearing for the Centre, additional solicitor general Mohan Parasaran informed the Bench that the identification of the posts in each department was being done and they would be advertised shortly.

The Bench asked the Centre to file a comprehensive status report within four weeks detailing the steps taken to identify the posts and the measures taken to fill them.