DoPT denies service allocation to scientist with muscular dystrophy who cleared UPSC exam

A 28-year-old scientist with muscular dystrophy who cracked the Civil Services Examination on four occasions has moved the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) after the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) declined to allocate any service to him. The DoPT informed the tribunal that the candidate does not fulfil the physical standards required for the service.

Kartik Kansal, who works for the Indian Space Research Organisation, has been using a wheelchair since the age of 12 and taught himself to write after his muscles weakened. Mr. Kansal is a resident of Uttarakhand and a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee.

Mr. Kansal’s case is in stark contrast to that of trainee Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar who faces a criminal case for allegedly forging documents and misusing the quota available to people with benchmark disabilities (PwBD) to get into the service.

Ms. Khedkar could continue in her job despite a Central Administrative Tribunal ruling in 2023 that her candidature was liable to be cancelled as she failed to appear before a Medical Board at the AIIMS, Delhi, on six occasions to confirm her disability under “visually impaired and mental illness” criteria. She appeared for the examination again in 2022, secured a rank of 821 and got entry into the IAS by changing the disability criteria to “visually impaired and hearing loss”.

A Medical Board at the AIIMS declared her disability to be 47% – above the 40% criteria – after which the DoPT allotted her the IAS. The DoPT was a respondent in the CAT petition filed by Ms. Khedkar.

According to the CSE-2021 notification for which Mr. Kansal appeared, 22 out of total 712 vacancies were reserved for PwBD candidates.

In 2021, Mr. Kansal secured a rank of 271; yet, he was denied service though, according to the petition, he was eligible to be allotted the Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax).

Sanjeev Gupta, a retired IAS officer who is pursuing Mr. Kansal’s case with the authorities, said “grave injustice” had been done. “The Medical Board at AIIMS certified 90% muscular dystrophy in the certificate that was sent to the DoPT. However, after Mr. Kansal moved CAT when he was denied any service allocation, the DoPT responded that he had cerebral palsy and does not fulfil the physical eligibility criteria. He met the ‘sitting, seeing, reading, writing and communication criteria’ for the IRS. The DoPT should correct its mistake and not drag the case to the tribunal as it has erred in reading the documents,” he said.

Mr. Kansal cracked the examinations in 2019, 2022 and 2023 as well. The CAT is expected to hear the petition in August.