RAS exam: HC orders RPSC to pay ₹5 lakh to visually impaired person

Jaipur: Rajasthan High Court has directed Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to a 26-year-old visually impaired person who was denied the right to appear in the examination of RAS (Preliminary), 2021. The HC ordered RPSC to pay the amount within four weeks.Hearing a petition filed by the petitioner, Kuldeep Jaiman, Justice Sameer Jain of the high court passed the order to RPSC. Jaiman, who is 100% visually impaired, had applied for the RAS-Pre, 2021, examination, said his counsel Shovit Jhajharia.“On October 27, 2021, when he (Jaiman) reached the examination centre in Alwar along with a scribe who was to write on his behalf, he was told that as per the rules, he (petitioner) should have informed about the scribe two days in advance. The candidate was also asked to provide a medical certificate regarding his blindness, which he was not carrying at the time. Since RPSC had only issued him the examination letter as a visually impaired person, creating this obstacle was wrong,” said Jhajharia.During the hearing, the high court observed that only those candidates who want scribes have to provide information for getting them (scribes) two days before the examination. “It was told to us that while filling the online form, the candidate had informed that he would bring his own scribe with him. Therefore, there was no need for him to give two days’ advance notice. It was also wrong to debar the candidate from the examination due to lack of a medical certificate as RPSC itself had issued the admit card in the blind category to the candidate,” the HC said.“Since the selection process of RAS recruitment examination, 2021, has been completed, the candidate’s prayer to be included in the examination has become meaningless, but the petitioner has had to face harassment and mental agony. For that, a cost of Rs 5 lakh is imposed on RPSC. RPSC will pay this amount to the petitioner within four weeks,” said the high court in its order.The high court said the state government and RPSC should effectively implement the rights given to disabled persons under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. “It is the right of the differently abled person to be empowered with respect. It is the responsibility of the state government to ensure that disabled people get equal opportunities in society. For this, work should be done to sensitise society rapidly,” said the HC.
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