SC Directs Centre to Frame 'Proper Guidelines' on Granting Scribe to Disabled Persons for Exams

In a significant verdict, the Supreme Court Thursday directed the Centre to frame proper guidelines to regulate and facilitate grant of a facility of a scribe to persons with disability in writing exams and highlighted policy disconnect between two ministries on the issue saying left hand does not know what the right one is doing. The top court issued a slew of disabled-friendly directions to the MSJE on a plea of a UPSC's civil service aspirant, having neurological disorder 'dysgraphia' also known as a Writer's Cramp, who was denied facility of a scribe in exam on the ground that it can be provided only to persons with benchmark disabilities such as blind candidates and those with locomotor disability or cerebral palsy with an impairment of at least 40 per cent. We also intend to issue a broader direction to the Union Government in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to ensure the framing of proper guidelines which would regulate and facilitate the grant of a facility of a scribe to persons with disability within the meaning of Section 2 where the nature of the disability operates to impose a barrier to the candidate writing an examination, the 62-page verdict said. The top court also dealt with the policy disconnect in issues related to disabled persons and asked the government to have consultation with persons with disabilities and their involvement in decision making about matters affecting their lives saying it was necessary to bring about any meaningful change in the realization of their rights and would be in sync with the philosophy of nothing about us without us.