Visually impaired cleared

By S A Ishaqui

Hyderabad,July 2: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Thursday permitted a visually challenged person to take the screening test for the post of civil judge with an assistant.

Mr R. Varahalswami, a 28-year-old advocate from Gujjanagudla village of Guntur district, who is visually challenged, applied for the post of civil judge in June.
Officials rejected his application on June 16 as he was “fully blind.” Mr Swami challenged the rejection of his application in the AP High Court.

Mr B. Venkateswarlu counsel for the petitioner, told a division bench comprising Justice Ghulam Mohammed and Justice Vilas V. Afzulpurkar that the proceedings of the registrar-general of the High Court was contrary to the provisions of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act 1955.

He said that the Act provides not less than three per cent of vacancies for persons with disability in every establishment, of which one per cent should be reserved for persons suffering from visual challenge. He further contended that the registrar-general, in his notification issued for the recruitment of civil judges had not prescribed any disqualification of those who are visually challenged.

Counsel told the court that the Madras High Court had appointed a person who was totally visually challenged as judge and he was given posting as third additional district munsif at Coimbatore on June 1, this year.

The judges directed the registrar-general to allow the petitioner to attend the screening test scheduled to held on July 5 and provide an assistant to guide him during the test.

The judges told the petitioner to challenge the recruitment rules of the AP High Court.