Telangana bureaucrat’s post on disability quota in All India Services triggers row

Hyderabad: Amid the ongoing row over the appointment of probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar under the disability criteria, senior bureaucrat in Telangana Smita Sabharwal courted controversy by questioning the need for reservation for the differently abled people in the All-India Services (AIS).

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, disability rights activists and others took exception to her view. “As this debate is blowing up, with all due respect to the Differently Abled. Does an Airline hire a pilot with disability? Or would you trust a surgeon with a disability?” Sabharwal asked in a post on X.

“The nature of the #AIS (IAS/IPS/IFoS) is field-work, long taxing hours, listening firsthand to people’s grievances-which requires physical fitness. Why does this premier service need this Quota in the first place! #justasking,” she said.

The post drew a sharp reaction from Chaturvedi, who termed it as an “exclusionary” view. “This is such a pathetic and exclusionary view to have. Interesting to see how bureaucrats are showing their limited thoughts and their privilege too,” the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said on X.

Taking strong exception to Sabharwal’s comments, the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), Telangana unit said the Telangana government should take action against her for her post, which amounted to ‘insulting’ persons with disabilities.

NPRD Telangana president K Venkat cited court judgments in favour of implementation of quotas for the disabled in central services. Sabharwal’s post is against the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act’s guiding principle of equality, he said in a statement.

In the wake of criticism for her post, Sabharwal on Monday urged rights activists to also examine why the disability quota has not been implemented in IPS and sectors like defence and that IAS is no different.

“See a lot of outrage on my timeline. I suppose addressing the elephant in the room gets you that reaction. Would request the Rights Activists to also examine why this quota has still not been implemented in the IPS/ IFoS and certain sectors like defence. My limited point is that the IAS is no different,” she said.

“To live in an inclusive society is a dream that we all subscribe to. Insensitivity has no place in my mind. Jai Hind,” the senior IAS officer added. Sabharwal has also responded to the comments of Chaturvedi and others on X.