In a landmark decision on Monday, the Supreme Court declared that visually impaired candidates are eligible for appointment in the district judiciary across India. The ruling, delivered by Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan, came after considering a batch of petitions, including a suo motu case initiated by the court itself following a complaint from a visually impaired candidate’s mother.
The complaint addressed the exclusion of visually impaired individuals from the Madhya Pradesh Judicial Services due to specific recruitment rules that were deemed discriminatory. This prompted the Supreme Court to reevaluate the constitutional and institutional frameworks surrounding disability jurisprudence.
Justice Mahadevan highlighted the significance of the case, stating, “We have treated it as the most important case. We have touched upon constitutional framework also and institutional disability jurisprudence,” underscoring the court’s commitment to ensuring equal opportunities in judicial services for all citizens, regardless of physical disabilities.
