Gujarat HC Questions State’s Record On Disability Quota, Seeks Department-Wise Recruitment Data

The Gujarat High Court has expressed dissatisfaction with the state government's handling of reservation for persons with disabilities in recruitment across various government departments, questioning why appointments have not been pursued against the full 21,000 identified vacancies.

A Chief Justice-led bench was hearing a matter concerning implementation of the reservation for persons with disabilities after the state government filed an affidavit outlining the status of recruitment.

According to the government, around 21,000 recruitment slots had been identified, of which approximately 5,000 posts were considered unsuitable for persons with disabilities. The process of filling around 7,000 posts was reportedly still underway.

The Court, however, questioned the government's figures and pointed out that advertisements had been issued for only around 13,000 posts.

The bench asked why recruitment had not been undertaken for all 21,000 vacancies and specifically questioned why advertisements had not been issued for the remaining posts. The government responded that advertisements for the remaining posts would be issued promptly.

HC Seeks Department-Wise Details

The Court directed the state government to submit a detailed department-wise analysis and chart showing the recruitment of persons with disabilities.

The bench sought specific information on:

• Which government departments had made appointments;
• The number of persons with disabilities recruited by each department;
• The posts against which the appointments were made; and
• The nature and extent of disabilities of candidates appointed to specific posts.

The Court observed that the government had not provided sufficient details to establish where appointments had actually been made.

Court Questions Government’s ‘Rosy’ Picture

The petitioner challenged the figures presented by the state, alleging that the government was not providing an accurate picture of the recruitment process.

The Court also expressed concern that the data submitted appeared to present an overly positive picture without the necessary analysis.

The government had told the Court that appointments had been granted to more than 6,000 persons and that the results had been declared. It sought additional time to submit a comprehensive report.

The bench, however, stressed the sensitivity of the matter and questioned the progress made despite the recruitment agency having been given two years to complete the process.

The Court's observations underscore its concern that the reservation framework should translate into actual appointments rather than remain confined to figures presented in affidavits.