Click to play videoNew Delhi: Admission to the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) is the dream of hundreds of thousands of Indians every year.
However, Kumar Avikal Manu's dream turned into a nightmare when after clearing the exam, he was rejected by an insensitive bureaucracy because of a partial disability in one hand.
The 30-year-old would have been a part of the elite civil services today as an officer of the Indian Revenue Service but fate, and an insensitive Government dealt him a cruel hand.
Avikal had cleared the UPSC exams in 2004 and in May 2005, he received a letter from the Department of Personnel and Training. The letter stated that he had cleared his civil services exams and was being considered.
But things took a turn for the worst when he did not hear a word from the Government after August 2005. He is still wondering what the 48 per cent disability in his right hand got to do with DOPT becoming mute.
"Because of this attempt of DOPT, I have suffered mental and psychological harassment, and loss of valuable time," says Avikal.
Gradually losing hope, Avikal approached the Central Information Commission (CIC) in October 2006.
In December last year, the CIC pulled up DOPT for its lackadaisical approach. But with the DOPT continuing to be silent on this case, the CIC is now contemplating even more serious action.
The commission now believes that this case is important and deserves a rare full-bench hearing.
Only half a dozen cases have been heard by a full bench so far. It can only mean that the CIC is now going to give the DOPT an earful.
"The matter has been referred to the full commission to give its own judgement on the issue," says Information Commissioner MM Ansari.
Interestingly, the DOPT is the nodal agency for the implementation of the RTI act and every effort to get in touch with the department and secure their version of the story has not yielded results.
There is no explanation why the DOPT is making this discrimination and this is not the first time when successful but physically challenged candidates have leveled such an allegation against the department.
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