The Sikkim High Court has recently directed the State government to file a report on the status of compliance with the provisions of the Rights of People with Disabilities Act, 2016, specifically Sections 33 and 34, which deal with identification and reservation of posts for specially abled people.
A bench comprised of Chief Justice Shri Biswanath Somaddar and Justice M.M Rai issued the directives while hearing a PIL filed by one Navraj Tiwari, who claimed to be a social worker.
Tiwari sought to invite the court’s attention towards alleged non-compliance of Section 33 of the Act, which mandates the formation of an expert committee to identify positions that can be held by people with disabilities.
Simultaneously, the petitioner cited non-compliance of Section 34 of the Act, which mandates 4% reservation for people with disabilities in government jobs.
Following consideration of the petitioner’s counsel’s arguments, the bench directed that a status report be filed within 6 weeks, specifically stating whether the State of Sikkim has complied with the provisions of sections 33 and 34 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, or whether they are in the process of taking steps towards complying with the said provisions.
For further consideration, the bench set the matter again after six weeks.
