Delhi HC asks SSC to make online portal more user friendly for blind candidates

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) to make its online portal more user friendly for the blind to apply for its various exams. A bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela passed the directions while asking the SSC to consider providing the blind candidates an alternative mode to upload their photographs while applying online for various exams being conducted by the commission.

A plea filed by National Federation of the Blind's Santosh Kumar Rungta sought an alternative mode of uploading photographs for Combined Graduate Level Examinations, Combined Higher Secondary Level Examination 2025, and Multi-Tasking (Non-Technical) Staff and Havaldar (MTS and Havaldar) Examination, 2025.

The measure, the petitioner said, would help blind candidates "whose eye conditions are such that it makes it impossible for them to capture live photograph through face recognition and upload them thereby depriving them of their right to participate in the selection process for recruitment".

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The petition termed the exclusion "a clear case of discrimination and violation of fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution". The bench observed that the petitioner had forwarded 60 e-mails of such candidates to the SSC and directed the commission to look into the matter at the earliest.

"We request the SSC to look into grievances in these 60 e-mails. So far issue in petition, we will consider for future examinations. Larger matter is Likely to take time. SSC should revisit its policy to make its portal more user friendly especially for visually impaired. Revisit your policy," the bench said.

The bench directed the SSC official to sit with the petitioner and settle the grievances. "There are some issues that need to be resolved. In future be mindful. Come with your plans for future examinations," it said and posted the matter on November 12.