Shimla: Complaint against higher education director over ‘violation’ of Disability Act

Umang Foundation, a charitable trust working for disabled in Shimla, has lodged a complaint with the state disability commissioner against the director of higher education over ‘violation’ of Disability Act

The Umang Foundation, a charitable trust working for the disabled, has lodged a complaint with the state disability commissioner against the director of higher education, Amarjeet K Sharma, on the ban imposed on the recruitment of persons with visual and hearing impairment having disabilities more than 60% for the post of school lecturer.

The decision of the higher education director is against the Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016, and blatantly violates a judgment of the Supreme Court delivered in February this year, said Umang Foundation chairman in Shimla. (HT Photo/ Representational image)

Umang chairman and an expert member of the State Advisory Board on Disability Ajai Srivastava said if remedial measures were not taken immediately, he would move the high court to seek relief for disabled persons as the education department was blatantly defying the ruling of the Supreme Court.

He said the director of higher education issued an advertisement, especially for the disabled, last week to recruit school lecturers in various subjects.

“It was clearly mentioned in the advertisement that the persons having visual and hearing disability more than 60% were not eligible to apply,” he said.

The decision of the director of higher education is against the Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016, and blatantly violates a judgment of the Supreme Court delivered in February this year, he said.

In the judgment, the apex court had ruled that irrespective of the degree of disability, visually and hearing-impaired persons can even become judges in courts. The court had said such disabled people should be provided technical assistance so that they could work efficiently, said Srivastava.

He said the Central government had identified the posts of IAS, IFS, IRS, professor, bank officers, and all categories of school teachers, including lecturer, for the purpose of recruitment of the disabled, “but the mental bankruptcy of the education department is playing with the future of the disabled persons.”

He questioned when the persons with blindness or deafness can occupy the highest government posts in the country, why they are being debarred to become school lecturers.

He has urged the state disability commissioner to take cognisance of his complaint against the director of education and order an inquiry.