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PETITIONER: NATIONAL FEDERATION OF BLIND

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: UNION PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION AND OTHERS

DATE OF JUDGMENT23/03/1993

BENCH: KULDIP SINGH (J) BENCH: KULDIP SINGH (J) KASLIWAL, N.M. (J)

CITATION:  1993 AIR 1916            1993 SCR  (2) 556  1993 SCC  (2) 411        JT 1993 (2)   541  1993 SCALE  (2)181

ACT: Visually  Handicapped-Right to compete for  civil  services- Writ of mandamus u/Art 32 of the  Constitution-Justification for  writing civil service Examination in Braille-Script  or with  the help of a scribe-Whether visual  handicap  hinders equal efficiency. Entitlement to claim promotion to higher posts-And right  to claim  a  particular post in the  hierarchy  of  promotional posts in respect of which the Government has found that  the visually handicapped persons shall not be suitable.

HEADNOTE: The visually handicapped constitute a significant section of our  society.   As  it  is  necessary  to  encourage   their participation  in every walk of life.  The Central  Ministry of Welfare has been undertaking various measures to  utilise their potentialities.  The Governments have launched schemes to  educate, train and provide them with useful  employment. The Central Government has provided 3% reservation in  Group C and D posts for physically handicapped including blind and partially blind, while demand is growing for reservations in Group A and B posts. The Standing Committee of the Ministry of Welfare  undertook identification of jobs in these categories and submitted its report  on October 31, 1986.  Para 8 thereof related to  the blind.   It took note of reading and writing deficiency  and suggested  the provision of allowance.  And found  that  the specified 416 posts in Group A and B are suitable for  blind and  partially blind.  So, the Ministry of Personnel  issued office  memorandum dated November 25, 1986 a  accepting  the report and took policy decision regarding identification  of jobs for the physically handicapped persons in Group A and B posts filled to be by direct recruitment in Central  Govern- ment Services and Public Sector Undertakings. This  court  examined  the memorandum  and  found  that  the Government had taken cognizance of the identified jobs; that the Government had 557 decided  about  the recruitment of  handicapped  lessons  to these posts; that the departments would supplement the  list further;  that the Ministries/Departments would  inform  the

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UPSC about preferential treatment to handicapped candidates; that  the UPSC had agreed in principle to  give  preference; and  that the Department of Personnel and Training would  be issuing general instructions for the purpose. However, the decisions were not implemented for seven years. So  the petitioner approached this Court seeking a  writ  in the nature of mandamus directing the Union of India and  the UPSC to permit the blind candidates to compete for the IA.S. and Allied Services and to provide them facility of  writing the  civil services examination either in Braille Script  or with the help of a scribe. On hearing the counsel for the petitioner, himself  visually handicapped, this Court, HELD:     The performance of the counsel for the  petitioner before  us  has  amply proved the point  that  the  visually handicapped  persons can perform the jobs entrusted to  them with  equal  efficiency.   However the  question  of  giving preference  to the handicapped in the matter of  recruitment to  the identified posts is a matter for the  Government  of India  to decide.  The Government of India is  commended  to decide  the question of providing preference/reservation  to the handicapped in Group A and B Posts.                                              [564 C-D-E] This Court further held that there are number of post  which are  required  to  be  filled  through  the  civil  services examinations and other competitive examinations conducted by the  Commission,  so the observations of the UPSC  that  the posts  identified as suitable to be held by  the  physically handicapped  persons, particularly those identified for  the blind  were  not  required  to be filled  on  the  basis  of competitive   examination  conducted  by   the   Commission, appeared to be incorrect. [565 D] Group  A  and  B posts in  the  category  of  Administrative Officers  are necessarily to be filled as a result of  civil services  examination  held  by the UPSC.  If  some  of  the identified  posts in the Indian Administrative  Service  and other  Allied  Services  can  be  filled  from  amongst  the visually  handicapped persons, there was no reason why  they should not be permitted to sit and write the civil  services examination. [565 E] 558

JUDGMENT: ORIGINAL JURISDICTION: Writ Petition (C) No. 655 of 1991. (Under Article 32 of the Constitution of India). Santosh Kumar Rungta and R.P. Gupta for the Petitioner. V.C. Mahajan, Ms. Niranjana Singh and Ms. A. Subhashini  for the Respondents. The Judgment of he Court was delivered by KULDIP   SINGH,  J.  National  Federation  of  Blind    a representative body of visually handicapped persons in India    has  filed   this  petition  under  Article  32  of   the Constitution  of  India  seeking a writ  in  the  nature  of mandamus  directing the Union of India and the Union  Public Service Commission to permit the blind candidates to compete for  the  Indian  Administrative  Service  and  the   Allied Services and further to provide them the facility of writing and  civil services examination either in Braille-script  or with  the help of a Scribe.  Braille is a system of  writing for the blind in which the characters consist of raised dots to  be  read by the fingers.  Further relief sought  in  the petition  is  that  Group A and B posts  in  Government  and public   sector   undertakings  which  have   already   been

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identified  for the visually handicapped persons be  offered to them on preferential basis. The visually handicapped constitute a significant section of our  society and as such it is necessary to encourage  their participation  in  every  walk of  life.   The  Ministry  of Welfare,  Government of India has been  undertaking  various measures  to  utilise  the potentialities  of  the  visually handicapped  persons.   The  Central as well  as  the  State Governments have launched several schemes to educate,  train and  provide  useful  employment to  the  handicapped.   The Central  Government has provided reservations to the  extent of  3% vacancies in Group C and D posts for  the  physically handicapped including blind and partially blind. There   has  been  a  growing  demand  from   the   visually handicapped  persons  to provide reservations  for  them  in Group  A  and  B posts under the  Central  Government.   The Ministry  of  Welfare, Government of India  has  a  standing Committee  or  identification  of  jobs  in  various   Mini- stries/Departments  and public sector undertakings  for  the physically hand-  559 icapped.  By an order dated December 30, 1985 the Government of  India directed the Standing Committee to  undertake  the identification of jobs for the handicapped in Group A and  B Services   under   the   Government   and   public    sector undertakings. The  Committee submitted its report which was  published  on October 31, 1986.  Copy of the report has been placed on the record of this petition.  In the introduction to the  report given  by Mr. M.C. Narsimhan, Joint Secretary to  Government of  India and Chairman, Stating committee on  identification of jobs for handicapped, it has been stated as under:-               "A  Sub Committee, which was set up to  assist               the Standing Committee visited a large  number               of  Public  Sector Undertakings  and  observed               people  actually working in a variety of  jobs               and the working conditions in which these jobs               are performed.  The Sub Committee had detailed               discussions   with  the  Chiefs   and   Senior               Officers of the Public Sector Undertakings  as               also  with officers of the Central  Government               Departments.   A  fist of  the  public  sector               undertakings  and the list of the officers  of               the  Undertakings with whom the Sub  Committee               had discussions is annexed to the report.  The               Committee  after detailed discussions and  on-               the-spot  study has prepared  a  comprehensive               list of 416 categories in Group A and B  posts               in   Government  Offices  and  Public   Sector               Undertakings,  with their  jobs  descriptions,               the physical requirement of each group of  job               and  matched them with various  categories  of               disabilities." The  Committee  devoted special attention  to  the  visually handicapped.   Para  8 of the report which  relates  to  the blind is as under:-               "However,  in  the  case  of  the  blind   the               position   is  somewhat  different.    Seeing,               reading,  writing and movement  are  essential               ingredients    of   most   Government    jobs.               Therefore,  a similar approach in  respect  of               blind persons may be difficult.  It would  not               be  possible to generalise that  blind  person               can  do most jobs as we have found  for  those               with locomotor and hearing disabilities.   The

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             Committee found               560               that in higher posts is Government the help of               a  personal  assistant or  a  stenographer  is               generally  available.  But this  facility  is.               not  available even in higher posts in  public               sector  undertakings.  Wherever this  facility               is  available a blind person may not  find  it               difficult,  in  certain groups  of  posts,  to               handle  the  job.   It is  also  possible,  in               relation  to  other posts  where  stenographic               assistance  is not available that  some  other               facilities   can  be  provided  to   a   blind               employee.  To compensate ’reading  deficiency,               readers’  allowance can be provided  to  blind               employees  to enable them to engage a  reader.               Similarly,   to   compensate   for    "writing               deficiency",  the  blind  employee  should  be               required  to know typing.  Adequate  knowledge               of typing should be prescribed as an essential               qualification  for blind employees for  public               employment.  Where mobility may also be one of               the main ingredients of a job it is  difficult               to   compensate  blind  employees   for   this               "deficiency.    The   Committee   would   also               emphasise  that the blind employee  should  be               fully  responsible for the duties assigned  to               them,   despite  the  provision  of   reader’s               allowance  and  typing skill.   The  Committee               would  also suggest that the maximum  reader’s               allowance should be limited to Rs.200 p.m.  to               blind  employees  recruited to Group A  and  B               post.’ The Committee has identified about 416 categories of Group A and  B  posts which are suitable for the  handicapped.   The Committee   has   further  specified   that   the   visually handicapped  (blind  and partially blind) are  suitable  for appointment  to  the following categories of Group A  and  B post:- No. in the List              Category of         Group Annexed to the               Post Report ------------------------------------------------------------ 178 to 187                    Hindi officers      A & B 191 to 192                    Job Analyst         A & B 193 to 199                    Labour Welfare                               Officers            A & B 200 to 209                    Law Officers        A & B            561 237 to 242          Personal Assistants       B 243 to 256          Personnel Officers        A & B 279 to 291          Public Relations Officers  A & B 295 to 317          Research Officers          A & B 354 to 363          Training Officers          A & B 364 to 376          Administrative Officer                     (Non Secretarial)           A 377 to 384          Administrative Officers                     (Secretarial-Sr.)            A 385 to 401          Administrative Officers                     (Secretarial-Junior)     A & B 409                 Asstt. Admin. Officer We  have only quoted the list of categories from the  report to illustrate the point that the Committee appointed by  the Government  has in its report identified certain  categories of  posts to which the blind and the partially-blind can  be

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appointed. Government  of  India Through Ministry of  Personnel  issued office  memorandum  dated  November  25,  1986  wherein   it accepted  the  report  of the Committee and  took  a  policy decision  that  in respect of the posts  identified  by  the Committee the handicapped persons shall be given  preference in  the  matter of recruitment to those posts.   The  office memorandum is re-produced hereunder:                "No.F.36034/4/86-Estt.(SCT)               Government of India               Ministry of Personnel, Public               Grievances & Pensions               Department of Personnel & Training                ..............                New Delhi, the 25th November, 1986                             OFFICE MEMORANDUM               Subject:-  Identification  of  jobs  for   the               physically  handicapped persons in Groups  ’A’               and ’B’ posts filled by direct recruitment  in               the Central Government services and               Public Sector Undertakings.               562               The undersigned is directed to say that with a               view  to  effecting  optimum  utilisation   of               potentialities of physically handicapped which               constitutes  a  significant  section  of   the               population  in  the country, the  Ministry  of               Welfare  constituted a Standing Committee  for               identification  of  jobs  for  the  physically               handicapped in the Central Government services               and Public Sector Undertakings.  The  Standing               Committee  on identification of jobs set up  a               sub-Committee  for on-the-spot  identification               of jobs for the physically handicapped persons               in  Group ’A and ’B’ posts after making an  in               depth  study  of Undertakings as  well  as  in               consultation  with the concerned  authorities.               This subCommittee in its Report (submitted  to               the  parent Committee) identified 420 jobs  in               Group  ’A’ and Group posts/services  alongwith               the   physical  requirements  and   functional               classifications  of  disabilities   indicating               what  jobs  can be held by  each  category  of                             disabled people and with what disability.               It  has  been  decided  that  in  respect   of               identified   posts  which  can  be   held   by               physically handicapped persons preferences  to               physically handicapped persons will be  ,given               in  the matter of recruitment to those  posts.               A copy of the report of the Committee referred               to  in  para-1  is  enclosed  for  information               guidance  and necessary action.  The  list  of               jobs  identified by the Committee on  suitable               for  being  held  by  physically   handicapped               persons     is    not     exhaustive.      The               Ministries/Departments can further  supplement               the  list  based on their knowledge  for  jobs               requirements, essential qualifications etc.               The  Ministries/Departments after  identifying               all the posts which can be held by  physically               handicapped persons may inform the UPSC at the               time of sending their requisitions for filling               vacancies  in  respect of  those  posts,  that               preference  is  to  be  given  to   physically               handicapped   persons   in   the   matter   of

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             recruitment.    The   UPSC  have   agreed   in               principle  to  give preference  to  physically               handicapped persons in filling the  identified               posts.  The Depart-                563               ment of Personnel and Training will be issuing               general  instructions  to  enable   preference               being  given  to  the  physically  handicapped               persons in such cases.               The Ministry of Finance etc. are requested  to               bring these instructions to the notice of  all               concerned.                                         Sd/-                                         (BATA K, DEY)                                         DIRECTOR (JCA)’ From  the office memorandum quoted above it is obvious  that the  Government  of  India has taken  the  following  policy decisions to implement the Committee report:- 1.   The  Government  of India has taken cognizance  of  the fact  that the Standing Committee on identification of  jobs through its Sub-Committee has identified 420 jobs in Group A and   Group  B  posts/services  along  with   the   physical requirements and functional Classifications of  disabilities indicating     what  jobs  can be held by each  category  of disabled people and with what disability. 2.   The  decision  has  been  taken  that  in  respect   of identified posts which can be held by physically handicapped persons preference to physically handicapped persons will be given in the matter of recruitment to those posts. 3.   The  list  of jobs identified by the Committee  is  not exhaustive,    the   Ministries/Departments   can    further supplement  the  list  based  on  their  knowledge  of   job requirements, essential qualifications etc. 4.   The  Ministries/Departments after identifying  all  the posts  which can be held by physically  handicapped  persons may  inform the Union Public Service Commission at the  time of  sending  their  requisitions for  filling  vacancies  in respect  of those posts, that preference is to be  given  to physically handicapped persons in the matter of recruitment. 5.   The  Union  Public  Service Commission  has  agreed  in principle  to  give  preference  to  physically  handicapped persons in filling identified posts. 564 6.   The  Department  of  Personnel  and  Training  will  be issuing  general  instructions to  enable  preference  being given to the physically handicapped persons in such cases. Mr.  S.K  Rungta,  learned counsel for  the  petitioner  has contended  that the memorandum dated November 25,  1986  was issued  more than seven years back but so far the  decisions taken  therein  have  not been implemented.   Mr.  Rungta (himself  visually  handicapped) has argued  his  case  with utmost  clarity.  Mr. Rungta was fully conversant  with  all the relevant annexures to the petition.  He referred to  the relevant  pages in the bulky paper book with  perfect  ease. We  did not feel even for a moment that the case  was  being argued  by  a  visually handicapped  lawyer.   Mr.  Rungta’s performance  before  us  amply. proves the  point  that  the visually handicapped persons can perform the jobs  entrusted to them with equal efficiency. The question of giving preference to the handicapped in  the matter  of recruitment to the identified posts is  a  matter for  the  Government  of India to  decide.   The  matter  is pending  for decision with the Government of India  for  the last  several  years.  While appreciating  various  measures undertaken by the Government to provide useful employment to

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the  handicapped persons we commend the Government of  India to  decide the question of providing  preference/reservation to  the handicapped in Group A and B posts as  expeditiously as possible. So far as the claim of visually handicapped for writing  the civil  services examinations, in Braille-script or with  the help of Scribe, is concerned, we are of the view that  their demand is legally justified. The  fist of category A and B posts, identified as  suitable for  the  visually handicapped by  the  Committee,  includes number  of posts which are filled as a result of  the  civil services examinations.  When there are posts to which  blind and  partially-blind can be appointed, we see no  ground  to deprive them of their right to compete for those posts along with other candidates belonging to general category. Mr.  V.K. Cherian, Under Secretary to Government  of  India, Ministry of Personnel in his affidavit dated March 10,  1992 filed before this Court has stated as under:-  565               "If  there were Group ’A’ and ’B’ jobs,  which               could  be  filled up by the  blind,  the  same               should also be identified.  Once the jobs were               identified, they could be filled up from among               the  blind and also other handicapped  persons               such     as    deaf    and     orthopaedically               handicapped......  Going by the Report of  the               Committee and the posts identified by it,  the               Union  Public  Service  Commission  made   the               observation  that  the  posts  identified   as               suitable   to  be  held  by   the   physically               handicapped persons, particularly those  iden-               tified  for the blind are not such  which  are               required   to  be  filled  on  the  basis   of               competitive   examination  conducted  by   the               Commission’. The  observations of the Union Public Service Commission  as projected  by Mr.   V.K.  Cherian  in  his  above   quoted affidavit  do not seem to be correct.  After  going  through the  list of the posts identified as suitable  for  visually handicapped  (blind and partially-blind) it is obvious  that there  are number of posts which are required to  be  filled through the civil services examination and other competitive examinations  conducted  by the Commission.  Group A  and  B posts   in   the   category   of   Administrative   Officers (Secretarial-Senior)     and     Administrative      Officer (Secretarial-Junior)  are  necessarily  to be  filled  as  a result  of  civil services examination by the  Union  Public Service  Commission.   If some of the posts  in  the  Indian Administrative   Service  and  other  Allied  Services,   as identified by the Committee, can be filled from amongst  the visually handicapped persons then we see no reason why  they should not be permitted to sit and write the civil  services examination.   We make it clear that once recruited  to  the lowest level of the service the visually handicapped persons shall not be entitled to claim promotion to the higher posts in the service irrespective of the physical requirements  of the  jobs.  If in the hierarchy of promotional-posts  it  is found  by  the  Government that a  particular  post  is  not suitable  for the visually handicapped person he  shall  not have any right to claim the said post. In  the  light of the above discussion we partly  allow  the writ  petition  and direct the Government of India  and  the Union  Public  Service  Commission to  permit  the  visually handicapped (blind and partially-blind) eligible  candidates to compete and write the civil services examination which is

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ordinarily   held  yearly  by  the  Union   Public   Service Commission. 566 We further direct that they shall be permitted to write  the examination in Braille-script or with the help of a  Scribe. There shall be no orders as to costs. S.P.S.                     Petition allowed partly. 567