New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Thursday turned a letter into a PIL and decided to examine the Madhya Pradesh judicial services rules. According to the letter, the state’s judicial rules bar visually impaired candidates from being appointed as judicial officers. The apex court sought response from the Centre and state government.
A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud appointed senior advocate Gaurav Agarwal as amicus curiae to assist the court in the matter. The bench, also comprising justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, took cognizance of the letter on its own. The apex court issued notices to the Centre, the registrar general of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, and the state government.
The Chief Justice said that he had received a letter on the exclusion of visually impaired candidates from the district judiciary in the state. The apex court noted that the Madhya Pradesh Judicial Services Examination (Recruitment and Conditions of Services) Rule 1994 has been amended as a consequence which R 6A completely excludes visually impaired and no-vision candidates from seeking appointment to judicial service.