Joyous Verdict! Bombay HC Rules In Favour Of Visually Impaired Woman Denied Railway Job Over Typo

Ever experienced that sinking feeling when a tiny typo messes up your plans? Well, imagine that typo costing you a job opportunity. That's precisely what happened to a 31-year-old woman who was denied despite being a qualified applicant due to a silly mistake on her online form.

Representational Image by TIL

But hold on, here's where it gets interesting. The Bombay High Court stepped in, recognizing the unfairness and directing the Railway Recruitment Cell to give her application another shot. Let's jump into this story of fairness prevailing!

The woman, Shanta Sonawane, hailing from Thane district, faced a setback in her pursuit of a job opportunity due to a typographical error in her online application form.

She applied for a job in February 2019 under the category of Persons with Benchmark Disabilities and specified her disability as visual impairment¡ªBlind (B) or 100% visual impairment.

Unfortunately, while filling out her online form, someone at an internet cafe accidentally wrote 1992 instead of 1993 as Shanta Sonawane's birth year.

Lexica| Representational Image

The error was discovered when Sonawane was asked to verify her documents after passing the recruitment exam in February 2023.

Despite obtaining an updated Aadhar card, Shanta Sonawane couldn't upload it because of a technical issue. Later, she was informed that her application was rejected because of the birth year mistake.

Upon facing rejection, Sonawane sought legal recourse, moving the Bombay High Court.

In response, the Railway Recruitment Cell contested her plea, arguing that candidate eligibility was solely determined based on the information furnished in the online application form.

However, the bench of Justices Nitin Jamdar and MM Sathaye dismissed the argument on Tuesday, invoking the principle of reasonable accommodation enshrined in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.

Bombay High Court| Image: TIL

The court emphasised the imperative of creating conditions conducive to the integration of individuals with disabilities into society, as mandated by the aforementioned legislation.

It underscored the need for proactive measures to facilitate the inclusion of disabled persons, stressing that reasonable efforts should be made to adapt procedures in alignment with the Act's objectives.

Moreover, the court highlighted the propensity for individuals with visual impairments to make inadvertent errors, such as typographical mistakes, owing to their disability.

Lexica| Representational Image

It admonished against discrimination or unjust treatment based on such errors and emphasised employers' responsibility to ensure that minor mistakes stemming from disabilities do not deprive individuals of employment opportunities.

In its directive to the Railway Recruitment Cell, the court mandated the processing of Sonawane's job application within six weeks, reaffirming the imperative of affording equal opportunities to persons with disabilities and accommodating their specific needs within the framework of the law.

This incident is a reminder that even minor errors shouldn't overshadow someone's potential, especially regarding job opportunities.

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