NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and several government departments on a petition demanding reservation for blind candidates in the Combined Medical Services Examination (CMSE).
A bench headed by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela issued notices to the UPSC, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD).
The court asked them to file their replies within four weeks and listed the matter for next hearing on December 3.
The petition, filed by the organisation Mission Accessibility through advocates Amritesh Mishra and Sarah, highlighted the absence of any reservation for blind and low-vision candidates in CMSE 2024.
Advocate Rahul Bajaj, representing the petitioner, argued that under Section 34(1)(a) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, one per cent of all vacancies must be set aside for this category.
He pointed out that one of the organisation’s members, despite clearing the qualifying marks in CMSE-2024 under the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) category, was denied an interview call as no posts were earmarked for blind or low-vision aspirants. The plea stated that Section 34 of the Act obligates government establishments to reserve at least four per cent of jobs for PwBDs, with a minimum of one per cent for persons with blindness or low vision.
“In a country where there is a well-acknowledged shortage of medical professionals, there is no rational basis to exclude doctors with blindness or low vision—especially those who have duly completed their MBBS degrees,” it said.