👉 “Stop Unfair Exam Guidelines: Ensure Equal Opportunity for Disabled & Blind Students
The Issue
Urgent Appeal to Reconsider Revised Guidelines for Competitive Examinations for Persons with Disabilities
To,
Hon’ble Shri Rajesh Aggarwal
Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India
Date: 18.08.2025
By: National Federation of the Blind (Affiliated to World Blind Union)
General Secretary: S. K. Rungta, B.A., LL.B., LL.M.
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We, the members of the National Federation of the Blind, urgently draw your kind attention to the recently issued “Revised Comprehensive Guidelines for Conducting Competitive Written Public Examinations” for persons with disabilities, notified vide Office Memorandum File No. P-73013/75/2023-Policy-DD-III dated 1.8.2025. These guidelines, superseding earlier ones of 2013, 2018, and 2022, were introduced purportedly in line with the RPwD Act 2016, Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act 2024, and Hon’ble Supreme Court directions (Vikash Kumar vs. UPSC, Avni Prakash vs. NTA, Gulshan Kumar vs. IBPS & Ors).
While the intent may be inclusive, the immediate applicability without proper safeguards risks large-scale exclusion of eligible candidates with disabilities.
Key Concerns Raised:
1. Lack of Infrastructure & Training:
Most exams are outsourced to third-party agencies that lack adequate understanding of accessibility. Without proper infrastructure, availability of trained scribes, and standard procedures, disabled candidates may face unfair disadvantages.
2. Independent Writing Assumption:
The guidelines push candidates towards independent use of technology (NVDA, Braille, large print). However, these softwares are still developing and not fully compatible across examination systems, especially for higher-level technical courses. No clear safeguards or infrastructure for Braille/large print answer sheets are provided.
3. Unrealistic Expectation:
Assuming that if a person can work independently on computers, they must also write exams independently, is flawed. Writing an exam under strict time limits is different from regular work. Without adequate training and resources, future prospects of candidates cannot be compromised.
4. Issues with Scribes:
The guidelines wrongly assume use of own scribes compromises fairness. It limits own scribe usage to two years, leaving discretion to examination bodies, which may create confusion. Qualification norms for scribes (e.g., 9th or 10th standard ongoing students for Class 12 exams) are impractical. Such scribes may lack subject familiarity, especially in Maths/Science. Minimum qualification should match exam requirements, not be lower.
5. Discriminatory Restrictions:
Candidates are allowed only one request for change of scribe, subject to exam body’s discretion. This is discriminatory and violates Section 3 of RPwD Act 2016. Moreover, lack of clarity on applicability to already-notified exams further increases uncertainty.
6. Stakeholder Consultation:
An online meeting on 16.08.2025 with more than 500 blind participants highlighted these pressing concerns. Immediate implementation without reconsideration would severely impact the future of thousands of disabled candidates.
---
Our Request:
We respectfully urge you to issue a corrigendum postponing implementation by at least six months. During this period, reconsideration and stakeholder consultation must take place to ensure fairness, accessibility, and equal opportunity for all persons with disabilities, particularly the blind.
This is not just a technical issue—it is about safeguarding the future, dignity, and rights of thousands of disabled candidates across India.
Signed:
(S.K. Rungta)
General Secretary,
National Federation of the Blind
Plot No. 21, Sector VI, M.B. Road, Pushp Vihar, New Delhi – 110017
8,201
The Issue
Urgent Appeal to Reconsider Revised Guidelines for Competitive Examinations for Persons with Disabilities
To,
Hon’ble Shri Rajesh Aggarwal
Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India
Date: 18.08.2025
By: National Federation of the Blind (Affiliated to World Blind Union)
General Secretary: S. K. Rungta, B.A., LL.B., LL.M.
---
We, the members of the National Federation of the Blind, urgently draw your kind attention to the recently issued “Revised Comprehensive Guidelines for Conducting Competitive Written Public Examinations” for persons with disabilities, notified vide Office Memorandum File No. P-73013/75/2023-Policy-DD-III dated 1.8.2025. These guidelines, superseding earlier ones of 2013, 2018, and 2022, were introduced purportedly in line with the RPwD Act 2016, Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act 2024, and Hon’ble Supreme Court directions (Vikash Kumar vs. UPSC, Avni Prakash vs. NTA, Gulshan Kumar vs. IBPS & Ors).
While the intent may be inclusive, the immediate applicability without proper safeguards risks large-scale exclusion of eligible candidates with disabilities.
Key Concerns Raised:
1. Lack of Infrastructure & Training:
Most exams are outsourced to third-party agencies that lack adequate understanding of accessibility. Without proper infrastructure, availability of trained scribes, and standard procedures, disabled candidates may face unfair disadvantages.
2. Independent Writing Assumption:
The guidelines push candidates towards independent use of technology (NVDA, Braille, large print). However, these softwares are still developing and not fully compatible across examination systems, especially for higher-level technical courses. No clear safeguards or infrastructure for Braille/large print answer sheets are provided.
3. Unrealistic Expectation:
Assuming that if a person can work independently on computers, they must also write exams independently, is flawed. Writing an exam under strict time limits is different from regular work. Without adequate training and resources, future prospects of candidates cannot be compromised.
4. Issues with Scribes:
The guidelines wrongly assume use of own scribes compromises fairness. It limits own scribe usage to two years, leaving discretion to examination bodies, which may create confusion. Qualification norms for scribes (e.g., 9th or 10th standard ongoing students for Class 12 exams) are impractical. Such scribes may lack subject familiarity, especially in Maths/Science. Minimum qualification should match exam requirements, not be lower.
5. Discriminatory Restrictions:
Candidates are allowed only one request for change of scribe, subject to exam body’s discretion. This is discriminatory and violates Section 3 of RPwD Act 2016. Moreover, lack of clarity on applicability to already-notified exams further increases uncertainty.
6. Stakeholder Consultation:
An online meeting on 16.08.2025 with more than 500 blind participants highlighted these pressing concerns. Immediate implementation without reconsideration would severely impact the future of thousands of disabled candidates.
---
Our Request:
We respectfully urge you to issue a corrigendum postponing implementation by at least six months. During this period, reconsideration and stakeholder consultation must take place to ensure fairness, accessibility, and equal opportunity for all persons with disabilities, particularly the blind.
This is not just a technical issue—it is about safeguarding the future, dignity, and rights of thousands of disabled candidates across India.
Signed:
(S.K. Rungta)
General Secretary,
National Federation of the Blind
Plot No. 21, Sector VI, M.B. Road, Pushp Vihar, New Delhi – 110017
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Petition created on 1 September 2025