Chief secy gets HC notice for failure to fill vacant posts

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday issued a show-cause notice to state chief secretary DK Shankaran for non-compliance of its February 15 order to fill up backlog of posts reserved for the disabled in government departments.

The division bench of Justice RM Lodha and Justice NH Patil directed that chief secretary should state why criminal action should not taken against him for failing to meet the deadline of July 31, set by earlier order. Reply will have to filed by September 7. The court was hearing PILs filed by National Federation of Blind and ILS Legal Aid Centre.

The Persons With Disability’ (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, provides that there would be 3% reservation for disabled persons in all government departments. The PILs had brought it to notice of the court that these vacancies are not being filled.

According to the affidavit filed by Jagdeo Rathod, deputy secretary of Social Justice department on Wednesday, 19,202 posts have been reserved for disabled persons, but only 10,082 posts have been filled up so far. The affidavit pleaded for six months’ further time, for cross-checking “figures of reserved posts for handicapped persons in various government departments”. This is the second time government has failed to fill up the backlog.

State had let earlier deadlines of December 31, ’05 and July 31 ’06 pass without taking any action.
The court also ordered that deputy secretary should remain present in the court on the next date.