KOCHI: Being 80% visually impaired never stopped Arjun K Kumar, a native of Viyyur in Thrissur, from dreaming to become a law academician. He not only pursued a degree in Law from Thrissur Law College with high marks but even got admission to LLM under the special reservation category at the Ernakulam Law College.
However, the distance from his native place to the college is playing spoilsport in his dreams. “I cannot travel such a long distance without help from others. Being a daily wage worker, it is difficult for my father to accompany me everyday. My mother on the other hand is suffering from asthma and rheumatic pain. So it is practically impossible for me to attend the classes daily,” says Arjun.
The youth has now approached the governor, chancellor and the higher education minister seeking to transfer his admission to Thrissur Law College. In his representation to the authorities, he cited, “The nearest law college from my home is the Government Law College, Thrissur, which is at a distance of only 5km. To attend the classes at the Government Law College, Ernakulam, I have to first reach Thrissur KSRTC stand on a private bus from Viyyur. Thereafter, I have to again travel from Thrissur by KSRTC bus to Ernakulam. The college is at a distance of 2.5km from the bus stand.”
The impediment to his request is that there is only one seat reserved for special category students and it is allotted at the Ernakulam Law College. His request is to transfer the special reservation for the blind to Thrissur college and issue necessary directions to the principals of both colleges in this regard. Arjun said if the governor and the government accept his request, he can complete his studies without much hassle.
Meanwhile, Arjun’s lawyer Advocate G Krishna Kumar said the High Court in a case -- Aswathy P vs Union of India -- stated that “It is an obligation of the state to do all that is necessary to empower persons with disabilities to foster their participation in all aspects of life.”