On Wednesday, in a case that could reshape disability inclusion in public healthcare recruitment, the Delhi High Court has issued notice to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the Centre on a plea demanding 1% reservation for blind and low vision candidates in the Combined Medical Services Examination (CMSE).
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela directed the UPSC, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities to file their responses within four weeks. The matter has been listed for further hearing on December 3.
The petition, filed by the organisation Mission Accessibility through Advocate Amritesh Mishra and Advocate Sarah, highlights a statutory mandate under Section 34(1)(a) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. The provision requires all government establishments to reserve at least 4% of vacancies for persons with benchmark disabilities, with a minimum of 1% specifically for individuals with blindness and low vision.
Advocate Rahul Bajaj, appearing for the petitioner, argued that despite this mandate, UPSC has consistently failed to allocate even a single seat for blind or low vision candidates in CMSE-2024 and CMSE-2025. In CMSE-2025 alone, 705 vacancies were notified, but none were reserved for this category. He added that one of the members of Mission Accessibility, who sat for CMSE-2024 as a blind candidate, cleared the written exam but was denied an interview call due to the absence of a reservation.
While calling this a case of “grave injustice,” the petition emphasised that in a country already facing a shortage of medical professionals, there was no rational justification for excluding doctors with blindness or low vision who have completed their MBBS degrees and internships. With reasonable accommodations, the petition stressed, such professionals are fully capable of discharging essential public healthcare duties.
The plea has also sought directions to the concerned departments to identify posts suitable for blind and low vision candidates in CMSE and to provide the necessary accommodations to ensure meaningful inclusion.
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