Supreme Court Intervenes to Safeguard Rights of Specially-Abled Individuals in Madhya Pradesh Judicial Services Exam
The Supreme Court, acting on its own initiative, granted permission for “visually impaired and low vision” individuals to participate in the Madhya Pradesh Judicial Services examination.
This decision came after prospective candidates challenged a recent amendment to the M.P. Judicial Services Examination Rules of 1994. The amendment, specifically Rule 6A, had effectively barred visually impaired and low vision candidates from serving in the Judicial Services.
Responding to a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of India by one of the affected candidates, the Bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice J.B. Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra, converted the communication into a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution. Their aim was to assess the legality and fairness of the contested Rule and to protect the fundamental rights of these specially-abled candidates.
During the proceedings, the Bench appointed Senior Advocate Gaurav Aggarwal as the Amicus Curiae to provide expert assistance in reaching a just decision.
The Supreme Court also appointed Ravi Raghunath as the Advocate-on-Record for the case initiated under the Court’s own motion, titled ‘In Re: Recruitment of Visually Impaired in Judicial Services’.
Furthermore, the Bench issued notices to the Central government, the State of Madhya Pradesh, and the Secretary General of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, summoning their responses on the matter.
This development follows a precedent set in 2021 by the Supreme Court in the case Vikash Kumar vs Union Public Service Commission. In that instance, the Court overturned a previous ruling that had excluded candidates with over 50 percent visual or hearing impairment from eligibility for judicial service.
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