MADURAI: Struggles are nothing new to her, and now she has started waging a new war in an unfamiliar territory. Meet visually-challenged M Puranasunthari, who secured an All India Rank of 286 in the Civil Services Examination. Despite bagging a top rank, the 25-year-old was denied an IAS berth, denting her nine-year-long dream.
But she is not ready to give up, as Puranasunthari, who has been given posting in Indian Revenue Service (IRS), is now involved in a legal battle against the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). She claimed that she is eligible for IAS selection under Other Backward Class (OBC) category and under Persons With Disability (PWD) reservations.
A resident of Maninagaram, Puranasunthari lost her vision at the age of six. A graduate in English literature, she has been writing the Civil Services Examination since 2016. It’s after three futile attempts that Puranasunthari, who was hell-bent on becoming an IAS officer, cracked the code this time, writing the exam in Tamil with the help of a scribe.
For K Murugesan, her father, this is just another challenge in her life. “At a time when all of us were optimistic of her securing IAS cadre, the service allotment list came as a rude shock. She was terribly upset for a couple of days. She wants to ensure that this blatant violation of reservation norms is not committed again,” he said.
She has moved the Central Administrative Tribunal Bench in Chennai, seeking the release of a fresh service allocation list that abides by the reservation norms. The service allocation list was released on September 25 and she filed the petition at the Tribunal on October 4. She is currently undergoing training at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie.
She contended in her petition that the Rights of the Persons With Disabilities Act, 2016 mandates one per cent reservation for persons with blindness and low vision. “While one percent of the 180 vacancies in IAS cadre is 1.8 vacancies, only one post was declared vacant, accounting for a reservation of 0.55%. The reduction in the quantum of reservation is a violation of the Act,” her petition reads. Her counsel, A Kannan, pointed out that six OBC candidates who secured ranks lower than her’s – ranks 288, 289, 291, 292, 296 and 303 – were alloted IAS cadre.
Commenting on this, retired IAS officer MG Devasahayam called it a “gross injustice by the UPSC”. The issue calls for an inquiry as six persons from OBC category below her rank were given IAS cadre after denying it to her, he pointed out. “She is a differently-abled candidate who has fought with all other OBC candidates (without any disability) and has secured a higher rank.
Now, she cannot be denied her right.” Retired IAS officer R Poornalingam said, “It is quite surprising and it must be an error in judgement on part of the UPSC. Despite her physical disability, she has achieved a tremendous feat. With fair-mindedness and compassion, the UPSC must consider her plea.
If not for the post of a district administrator, she can very well be inducted in policy-making, under the IAS cadre.” Tiruparankundram DMK MLA Dr P Saravanan said that Puranasunthari’s physical disability cannot be cited as a ground for denying IAS cadre because another visually-challenged woman - Pranjal Patil is now serving as an IAS officer (sub-collector) in Kerala. Academician PB Prince Gajendra Babu was of the view that the UPSC was insensitive in its approach towards a candidate from a marginalised section. He charged that the central body failed to address her grievance.