Scribe’s qualification linked to blind examinee’s, not exam’
Ahmedabad: In an important order on the educational qualifications of scribes for fully or partially blind candidates in recruitment exams, the Gujarat high court made it clear that the scribe’s qualification must be aligned with the candidate’s qualifications and not with the minimum criteria prescribed for the exams.
Justice V D Nanavati quashed notices issued by the Gujarat. Subordinate Services Selection Board (GSSSB) in March fixing the maximum educational qualifications for blind people’s scribes at Class 9.
The minimum educational qualification to take the exam is graduation. If a candidate wants a scribe of his choice, the scribe should not be educated beyond Class 9.
The board’ decision was challenged before the HC by the National Association for the Blind and the Blind People’s Association along with several blind candidates. Their advocate, Siddharth Kheskani, cited the guidelines adopted by govt in this regard.
He also cited the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act to assert that the guidelines adopted by the govt stipulate that the scribe should be less qualified than the blind candidate and this is the only condition prescribed. The rules do not say that a scribe’s qualification has anything to do with the minimum educational qualification required to take the exam.
State govt opposed the petition saying that the present petitioners have to take a computer-based OMR test and not a written exam, and thus the Class 9 educational criteria for scribes was proper. However, the court upheld the guideline that a scribe’s qualification should be linked the candidate’s qualification and has nothing to do with the minimum education required for the test. The HC also clarified that whether it is an OMR test or written exam the only educational qualification for a scribe is that they should have a lower qualification than the candidate.
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