A disabled scientist has four UPSC cracks yet is still not allowed to use the service

Muscular dystrophy has left Kartik Kansal wheelchair-bound since he was 14 years old. Despite this, he has passed the UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) four times in a row.

Kartik is a mechanical engineering graduate from IIT Roorkee and works as a scientist at ISRO. In 2019, he was ranked 813; in 2021, 271; in 2022, 784; and in 2023, 829. He never did receive a service, though.

This is a very different scenario, especially in light of the ongoing scandal concerning trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar and others who are accused of abusing the handicap quota.

Variations in the Disability Quotient

PwBD candidates were allocated 22 out of 712 total positions, according to the UPSC Civil Services Exam 2021 notice. These comprised six roles related to mobility impairments, including those for people with cerebral palsy, leprosy survivors, dwarfism, acid attack survivors, and muscular dystrophy.

Kartik received a rank of 271 in the locomotor disability category and was the top-ranked applicant; however, that year, he did not receive an IAS, although candidates rated 272 and 273 received one.

This was because muscular dystrophy was left off of the list of illnesses covered by IAS. Rather, his second and third selections, Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Excise) and Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) Group A, were applicable.

Kartik may have been assigned a service even in 2019 when he ranked 813th out of 15 candidates with a locomotor handicap. Only 14 of the positions were filled. But he wasn't.

MEDICAL BOARD APPROVAL

When assigning a service, other requirements—such as writing and visual capabilities confirmed by a medical board—are also taken into account, even with the PwBD restriction in the CSE.

Although Kartik's original disability certificate indicated a 60% disability, the medical board at AIIMS certified Kartik with 90% muscular dystrophy, acknowledging his considerable physical limitations while confirming his ability to see, hear, speak, communicate, read, and write—qualifications needed for IRS certification.

Kartik's arms and legs were declared to be weak in his muscles by the AIIMS medical board, while they also acknowledged that he was able to "manipulate with fingers with difficulty and mobilize with a motorized wheelchair."

When Karthik was a little child and had to use a wheelchair, he taught himself how to write.

Kartik fulfilled the physical standards for both the IRS and IAS jobs; nonetheless, the central grievance redressal portal responded with the following message: "There were no matching services at your turn as per your rank."

GOING AHEAD IN THE FIGHT

After receiving no service allocation from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Kartik filed the case to the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).

The AIIMS certificate attested to his ability, but the DoPT noted that he did not meet the physical requirements for the service. Kartik is requesting that the unfairness be corrected and that a proper service be assigned in his ongoing lawsuit before CAT.

Kartik is still optimistic that justice will be done. I wanted to show that even somebody like me could succeed, so I decided to enter the public service. However, since the matter is in dispute, I am unable to speak further on it," he stated in an interview with The Times of India.

His petition is anticipated to be heard by the CAT in August, which could potentially establish a precedent for treating candidates with disabilities fairly.

The narrative of Kartik Kansal serves as a sobering reminder of the difficulties that people with disabilities encounter in realizing their goals, even when they overcome major obstacles.