Quota for persons with disabilities; Supreme Court seeks DoPT's response

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has sought the Centre's response on an NGO's plea seeking initiation of contempt proceedings for not complying with an earlier order of three per cent quota in jobs to persons with disabilities.

The bench of justices Ranjan Gogoi and R F Nariman issued show cause notice to the Secretary of the Department of Personal and Training ( DoPT). It, however, exempted the officer from personal appearance before the court.

The bench was hearing the plea filed by NGO National Federation for Blind through senior advocate S K Rungta.

The NGO has said that DoPT has issued an office memorandum for providing 3 per cent reservation to persons with disabilities and said the posts have to be computed against the total number of vacancies in the cadre strength to be filled up through direct recruitment in group A and B posts.

"This amendment in the office memorandum was not in accordance with the direction of the court," the plea said.

The NGO alleged that other clauses, which were also to be amended to comply with the court's directions, have not been changed "intentionally and deliberately".

Most of the clauses relate to quantum of reservation and maintenance of roster etc, it said.

It said the DoPT also did not take steps for filling up vacancies, to be calculated against the reservation for persons with disabilities, adopting the manner of computation in terms of court's directions within a period of three months.

The NGO has also sought direction to the DoPT to ensure "strict and timely compliance" of court's earlier order to revive a committee for undertaking a centralised special recruitment drive for clearing up the backlog reserved vacancies for such persons.

The court, in an order passed on October 8, 2013, had provided separate one per cent reservation for each of the three categories of persons with disabilities namely persons suffering from blindness and low vision, persons suffering from hearing disability and persons suffering from locomotor disability or cerebral palsy respectively.