State should reserve 3 pc vacancies for disabled: HC

Chennai, March 30 The Madras High Court observed that each department should be treated as an 'establishment,' and the state government was bound to reserve not less than three per cent of the vacancies is an establishment for the disabled in accordance with the Persons with Disablities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act.
The first Bench comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Mr Justice F M Ibrahim Kalifulla directed the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) to fill 187 vacancies under the Commission's two notifications by appointing eligible physically-challenged candidates. The bench passed the order on two writ petitions filed by I Elangovan of Vellore questioning the validity of the notifications issued on November 15 and December 6, 2007, on the ground that the TNPSC had not followd the rule of three per cent reservation as provided under the Act.
The bench held that the provisions of Section 33 read with Section 2 (k) of the Act would prevail upon the Tamil Nadu State and Subordinate Services Rules and the respondents were duty-bound to provide reservation of not less than three per cent in every establishment. The bench also said that as per the charts filed by the Service Commission, 80 vancancies for the post of typist and eight vacancies for the post of steno-typist were liable to be reserved for persons with disablity under notification number 135. The bench observed that 99 vacancies should be filled by appointing persons with diablities under notification number 142. -Bureau Report chennaionline.com; Published: Monday, March 31, 2008