CHENNAI: The Madras High Court today gave the go ahead to the Tamil Nadu government for filling the posts of PG Assistants (Grade-I) and others in schools under the general category but directed it to put on hold the process in respect of differently-abled persons.
First bench of Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M Sundar passed the interim orders on a petition by Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently-Abled and Caregivers seeking to provide four per cent reservation for persons with disabilities for the posts. It then posted the matter to August 28.
After the petition was filed, the government had informed the court that an order had been issued enhancing the reservation from three per cent to four per cent for differently-abled persons.
The petitioner had contended only 18 posts had been shown in the roster to be filled up by persons with disabilities which does not even cater to three per cent reservation.
The court on June 7 last had directed the state government not to make any appointments to the posts in school education and other departments but allowed it to process the applications received.
Noting that there were 3,456 vacancies of PG Assistants and Physical Education Director posts, the bench said educational institutions cannot possibly function with such a large number of vacancies and keeping in abeyance the process of filling them up would be against the interest of students.
Since only four per cent of the posts were reserved for the differently abled, pending the categorisation of posts and determination of suitability of differently abled persons with different degrees of disabilities in reserved posts, the government may fill up the posts under the general category, it said.
In reply to the queries raised by the bench, the Additional Advocate General submitted that the percentage of disability shall be reconsidered within a period of two weeks.
The government has constituted an expert committee, which has held two meetings on May 30 and August 3 on identification of Group A and B posts for the newly added categories of disability.