Kerala HC orders the Govt. of Kerala & Aided schools to fill up backlog of 3% reservation since 07 Feb 1996 under PWD Act 1995 & 4% reservation since 19.04.2017 under RPWD Act 2016

Dear colleagues,

The Kerala High Court (Ernakulam Bench)  has come heavily against the aided Schools in Kerala and Govt. schools for not implementing the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunity, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act 1995 and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 and not appointing persons with disabilities on the teaching and non -teaching posts.  Several cases were tagged together with a common grievance against the Govt. of Kerala. The court impleaded a total of 106 additional respondents in the lead case while the original petition only had three respondents namely the State of Kerala (rep by Secretary to General Education), the Director of General Education and the State of Kerala (rep. by Secretary Social Justice Deptt). 

The petitoner in the lead case was Mr. K.J. Varghese, the President of  Kerala Federation of the Blind, representing five blind persons who contended that they have acquired all the requisite qualifications to seek appointment to the post of Upper Primary School Teacher, High School Teacher, and also for non-teaching posts in Aided Schools in the State.

The court presided by Mr. Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V.  in the judgement passed on 10 Aug 2022, held and declared that the Managers of Aided Schools are bound by G.O.(P) No.18/2018/SJD dated 18.11.2018, and they shall provide 3% reservation of the total number of vacancies in the cadre strength in appointments in Aided Schools to the posts with effect from 07.02.1996 and to fill the backlog from 07.02.1996 to 18.04.2017; and 4% reservation of the total number of vacancies in the cadre strength in appointments in Aided schools with effect from 19.04.2017 in tune with G.O.(P) No. 5/19/SJD dated 7/05/2019 and the orders referred to therein.

It also quashed G.O.(P) No.19/2021/G.Edn. dated 08.11.2021 (Ext.P5 in W.P.(C) No.19808/2021) and Order dated 07.12.2021 vide No. H(2)/295299/2021/D.G.E. issued by the Additional Director General (Ext.P6 in W.P.(C) No.19808/2021) to the extent that it fixes a cut off date and directs that only vacancies in Aided schools which arise after 08.11.2021 shall be filled up in terms of the 1995 Act/2016 Act. 

The High Court bench ordered that in terms of G.O.(M.S) No.111/2022/G.Edn. dated 25.06.2022 but without the cutoff date fixed as 08.11.2021, backlog vacancies from 07.04.1996 shall be calculated and the roster shall be prepared within a period of two months from today tabulating the first in 33 vacancies from 07.02.1996 and the first in 25 vacancies from 19.04.2017 onwards for absorbing differently abled in the process of recruitment in Aided Schools in respect of vacancies that have arisen after the date of issuance of G.O.(P) No.18/2018/SJD dated 18.11.2018 as upheld by this Court in Renjith (supra) and in tune with G.O.(P) No. 5/19/SJD dated 7/05/2019 and the previous orders referred to therein.

The Court also ordered that the appointments already made by the management after the date of issuance G.O.(P) No.18/2018/SJD dated 18.11.2018 in respect of which approval has not been granted by the educational authorities to date shall be subject to the directions above. Only after filling the backlogs as directed above, shall approval be granted in respect of those appointments. Approval of appointments already granted shall not be unsettled.

This case sets a clear road map for implementation of job reservations from 07 Feb 1996 as per the mandate of the1995 Act as a backlog and that the State couldn't decide when it wants to implement the law of its own whims and fancies by providing new cutt of dates. 

Below is the link to the Judgement dated 10 Aug 2022 by the High Court of Kerala at Ernakulam :  

W.P.(C) No.19808/2021 & connected cases titled  K.J. Varghese Vs. Govt. of Kerala & 108 Others [PDF 901 KB]

Kerala HC- Double Bench dismissed the appeal against Single Bench order that directed the aided private educational institutes to implement reservation under Disabilities Act.

Court: Kerala High Court 

Bench: Mr. Justice A.M. Shaffique and Mr. Justice Gopinath P. 

Case No. : WA.No.1237 OF 2020 (against the Judgement in WP(C) 4753/2020(T) OF Hight Court of Kerala Dated 26/8/2020)   (Heard with WA.1238/2020, WA.1239/2020, WA.1242/2020, WA.131/2021)

Case Title (lead Case) : Secretary, NSS College Central Committee  Vs.  Renjith  J.V.

Date of Judgement: 04 Feb 2021

Brief:

Please refer to our earlier post titled Kerala HC: Aided Private Education Institutions are 'State' and need to implement reservation for persons with disabilities, dated 27 Aug 2022

The Respondent in the WP 4753 of 2020 had gone in appeal in the present case before the double bench, however the Bench dismissed the appeal finding no merits and that the contentions raised were similarly to many other cases already decided by the Supreme court of India.

The main contention urged on behalf of the Consortium of Catholic School Managements in Kerala was that Ext.P8 order cannot be enforced since no posts had been identified to be filled up in terms of Sections 32 and 33 of the 1995 Act and Sections 33 and 34 of the 2016 Act.

It was also contended that the posts which had been notified are relating to Government departments, Government schools and colleges and do not have any relation to the creation of posts with reference to aided schools and colleges. And, thefore, it was argued that unless the posts in such aided schools and colleges are notified in terms of the statutory provision, incorporating Exts. P3 to P7 Government Orders will not suffice.

The bench, however, did not find any of these arguments sustainable in light of catena of previoous judgements of the hon'ble Supreme Court, particularly, Justice Sunanda Bhandare Foundation v. Union of India [(2014) 14 SCC 383)].  Government of India through Secretary and Another v. Ravi Prakash Gupta [(2010) 7 SCC 626], Rajeev Kumar Gupta v. Union of India and Others [(2016) 13 SCC 153],  Indra Sawhney v. Union of India [1992Suppl (3) SCC 217], and therefore, dismissed the appeal.  

Read the detailed Judgement below:

Madrash High Court questions Commissioner Disability on unfilled backlogs and shoddy implementation of PWD Act

Dear Colleagues,

I am very pleased to inform you that Hon'ble Justice S. Manikumar of  Madras High Court has taken the State Government and even the Commissioner Disabilities to task for not implementing reservations in employment and not clearing the backlog in employment of Persons with Disabilities. Hon'ble Justice has further sought for details of the action taken against institutions which had failed to employ physically challenged on one pretext or the other.

One wonderful intitiative on the part of the Hon'ble Justice! And mind you, almost all dailies today are singing about what Ms. Jaylalita's Government has done for the disabled, to name a few:

(a) 20 early intervention centres for Visually Impaired childrein in age group of 0-6 years in 20 districts at 2 crores rupees cost

(b) Age limit of 45 reduced to 18 years to avail pension.

(c) Free vocational training in all 32 districts benefiting 2400 disabled

(d) Cash awad to pursue high education to Hearing impaired students

(e) Monthly maintennace allowance from Rs. 500 to 1000 to severally disabled

 You will appreciate there is nothing about employment for the disabled and filling up the backlog vacancies reserved for them under the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995. The Government seems only wanted to keep the disabled alive on some paltry sum of pensions an some vocational training. The education grants of no use if the Government is not serious in including them in the employment which is evident from the records.

I welcome this step and congratulate the residents with disabilities of Tamilnadu to have such a progressive Justice in the High Court of Madras.

Here is the media coverage from the Hindu:

Court takes on the role of messiah

MOHAMED IMRANULLAH S

Thousands of physically challenged people awaiting government jobs could heave a sigh of relief now as the Madras High Court has taken upon itself the task of making every State Government department, undertaking, university and other such organisations follow the statutory reservation of 3 per cent in letter and spirit.

Passing interim orders in a batch of writ petitions, Justice S. Manikumar has directed the Commissioner for Differently Abled to submit in court by June 9 an exhaustive list of details including the backlog vacancies that need to be filled up in every government institution ever since the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act came into force in February 1996.

The judge also wanted the Commissioner to explain why the reservations for the physically challenged had not been implemented uniformly across all government controlled institutions even after 16 years since the Central enactment was passed.

He further sought for details of the action taken against institutions which had failed to employ physically challenged on one pretext or the other.

Expressing deep concern over this attitude of the government officials, the judge said: “If some vacancies meant for Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes or Most Backward Classes are left unfilled, many organisations, associations and even political parties would raise their voice, protest and agitate. But it is not so in the case of the differently abled. May be because, they do not command such a position in politics.”

He pointed out that as of March 31, 2011, a whopping number of 98,295 physically challenged people were in the ‘live register' of Employment Exchanges awaiting their chance for a government job. But unfortunately, they have been denied of their statutory right despite many court orders including the one passed by the First Bench of the High Court in a public interest litigation petition on February 17, 2011.

Mr. Justice Manikumar pointed out that the State Government had taken 10 years, since the legislation was enacted, even to begin identifying the posts meant for the physically challenged in Group A and B categories in the State Civil Services. The work began only in 2005 though it should have been kick started in 1996 itself and reviewed at periodic intervals not exceeding three years.

Thereafter, a series of meetings were held by the Union Ministry of Social Welfare and details were called from heads of various departments and boards, corporations and companies owned and controlled by the government. But many of them evaded from submitting the details.

It was also found that certain universities and educational institutions, in particular, had not followed the reservation policy.

“Right to live with dignity is a human right. Many of the disabled in India live in poverty and without employment, though educationally qualified. Delayed implementation of the statute is a deprivation of their statutory and Constitutional rights… Let us not forget that even a differently abled person would earnestly believe and expect that the words spoken and written be honoured,” the judge said.

He concluded by quoting Hellen Keller who said: “Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all — the apathy of human beings.”

Though the present batch of writ petitions related to approval of three teachers appointed in C.S.I. High School for the Deaf at Kottaram in Kanyakumari district, the judge went beyond the scope of the case in order to ensure strict implementation of the 1996 Act.

Source: The Hindu