Explore how specially-abled people can be put in different categories in civil services: SC to Centre

A bench of justices S.A. Nazeer and V. Ramasubramanian said sympathy for disability is one aspect but practicality of the decision has also to be taken into account

The Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Centre to examine how people with disabilities can be put under different categories in civil services.

A bench of justices S. A. Nazeer and V. Ramasubramanian said sympathy for disability is one aspect but practicality of the decision has also to be taken into account.

The top court shared an incident where a person in Chennai with 100 per cent blindness was appointed as civil judge junior division and the court interpreters got all orders signed by him and was later posted as editor of a Tamil journal.

"You please examine. They may not fit into all categories. Sympathy is one aspect, practicality is another aspect," the bench observed.

At the outset, Attorney General R Venkatramani, appearing for the Centre, submitted that the government was looking into the matter and sought time.

The court said it would hear the matter after eight weeks.

The apex court had on March 25 permitted people with disabilities to apply for the Indian Police Service (IPS), DANIPS and the Indian Railway Protection Force Service (IRPFS) provisionally as their preferences in the civil services and asked them to submit their application forms in this regard to the UPSC by April 1.