AKHILA KARNATAKA ANDHA SHIKSHAKARUGALA KSHEMABHIBRIDDHI SANGHA Vs. SELECTION AUTHORITY AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR ADMINISTRATION DEARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTIONS KOLAR DISTRICT)

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THIS public interest litigation is filed by "Akhila Karnataka Andha Shikshakarugala Kshemabhivrudhi Sangha" on behalf of all visually impaired persons in Karnataka. The petitioner-Association has the welfare of blind teachers and educational and employment rights of visually impaired children, as its avowed objectives.

(2.) THE grievance of the petitioner-Association is that the 1st respondent"s Notification, dated 20th September, 2005 (Annexure-A) calling for the applications for 4767 posts of primary teachers in Kannada, bars the visually handicapped persons from applying for the said posts. THE Notification states that the blind persons who have lost their vision completely would not be considered for the appointment of teachers" posts. In the wake of the impugned notification, the 1st respondent rejected all the applications for the advertised posts of primary school teachers from qualified blind persons.

(3.) TWO other learned members of the bar sought leave of the Court to address their arguments. As this writ petition is in the nature of public interest litigation and as the petitioner-Association is espousing a public cause, we have permitted them to make their submissions.