New Delhi: The Supreme Court today stayed
the Delhi High Court order directing the Centre to provide
three per cent job reservation for persons with disabilities
mandated under a special legislation which includes one per
cent for visually-impaired candidates.
"We are staying the directions of the High Court. The
directions are prima facie incorrect," a Bench comprising
Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices P Sathasivam and
Deepak Verma said.
However, the Bench clarified it was not staying the
Disabilities Act under which three per cent jobs should be
reserved for disabled persons, including one per cent for
visually-impaired candidates.
It also said the interim directions passed by it
earlier would prevail.
The apex court had directed the Centre to file a
detailed status report regarding the extent to which the posts
had been identified and filled up and also what steps had been
taken to fill up the vacancies that had arisen since the Act
has gone into force in 1996.
The Bench refused the plea of National Federation of
the Blind that the High Court order be allowed to operate.
Advocate Pratiti Rungta, himself visually impaired,
argued the case for the Federation and opposed the appeal of
the Centre but the Bench declined his plea saying "it is not
possible to continue with the High Court order".
Rungta's plea that no recruitment has been made undeer
the Act did not convince the Bench to keep in operation the
the High Court order.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, November 06, 2009, 21:58