Tripura High Court Directs Appointment of 100% Visually Impaired Candidate to Clerk Post

The Tripura High Court has directed the authorities to appoint a 100% visually impaired candidate to the post of Clerk, holding that his disability could not be used as a ground to deny him appointment after his selection.

The case arose from the recruitment conducted by the Joint Recruitment Board of Tripura (JRBT) for Clerk posts pursuant to the 2021 recruitment notification. The petitioner, Ranjit Sarkar, a visually impaired candidate, had participated in the selection process and was selected on the basis of his performance in the written examination and interview.

However, his appointment was subsequently cancelled by the authorities. The decision was challenged before the High Court through W.P.(C) No. 389 of 2024, with the petitioner contending that his appointment could not have been cancelled merely because he was 100% visually impaired.

The dispute involved the implementation of the reservation and employment protections available to persons with benchmark disabilities under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

The recruitment involved 910 Clerk posts, with vacancies reserved for persons with disabilities, including candidates falling under the blindness and low-vision category. The petitioner argued that once he had been selected against the applicable reservation and had otherwise fulfilled the recruitment requirements, his visual disability could not be treated as an automatic bar to appointment.

The matter was heard by Justice Biswajit Palit. The High Court had reserved its judgment after hearing the parties on September 5, 2026.

In its decision, the Court directed the authorities to take steps for the petitioner’s appointment, thereby providing relief to the visually impaired candidate whose appointment had earlier been cancelled. The decision assumes significance in the context of implementation of disability reservation in government recruitment. It also highlights the obligation of public authorities to ensure that persons with benchmark disabilities are not excluded from public employment merely on account of their disability, particularly where the post is available within the applicable reservation framework.

The judgment is also relevant to the continuing legal debate over the manner in which horizontal reservation for persons with disabilities is to be implemented in government recruitment.

Case: Ranjit Sarkar v. State of Tripura & Ors.
W.P.(C) No. 389 of 2024