SC registers suo moto case on exclusion of visually impaired in judicial service in MP

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday registered a suo moto case on a letter petition objecting to the amendments made in the Madhya Pradesh recruitment rules which exclude visually impaired and no-vision candidates from appointment to the judicial service in the state.

Taking judicial notice of the letter petition, a Bench presided over by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud directed the issuance of notice to the Union government, state government and Registrar General of the MP High Court.

The Bench, also comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, ordered turning the letter petition into a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution.

It said: “The Madhya Pradesh Judicial Service (Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 1994 have been amended as a consequence of which Rule 6A completely excludes visually impaired and no-vision candidates from seeking appointment in the judicial service.”

Further, it requested senior advocate Gaurav Agrawal to assist the court as amicus curiae in the matter.

Rule 6A, inserted in June 2023, provides that 6 per cent posts will be horizontally reserved for persons suffering from locomotor disability, including leprosy curd, dwarfism, muscular dystrophy and acid attack victims, excluding cerebral palsy, as specified under section 34 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (49 of 2016).