The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : `Fix separate eligibility marks for the disabled'

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Friday, Jul 01, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

`Fix separate eligibility marks for the disabled'

Special Correspondent

Writ petition filed in Madras High Court

CHENNAI: A writ petition seeking different minimum eligibility marks for handicapped students aspiring to join professional courses has been filed in the Madras High Court.

Justice P.D. Dinakaran admitted the petition filed by G. Chandrasekaran and ordered notice to Anna University.

In his petition, Mr. Chandrasekaran said he belonged to a backward community. His son C. Khamakhore suffered from total blindness in one eye and 30 per cent vision impairment in the other. He scored 51.5 per cent marks in his Plus Two examination and appeared for the Tamil Nadu Professional Course Entrance Examination.

He, however, could not join any professional course as the minimum eligibility marks, prescribed for special categories such as sons and daughters of ex-servicemen, freedom fighters, sportspersons and the handicapped, were the same as prescribed for communities categorised for purpose of reservation.

The minimum eligible marks for open category is 60 per cent, for BCs 55 per cent, MBCs 50 per cent and pass for SC/STs in the qualifying examination. As per the existing regulations, Mr. Khamakhore is not eligible for admission.

Mr. Chandrasekaran said: "The qualifying marks for physically handicapped persons should be fixed independent of their community and solely on the consideration of the difficulties faced by them." It should not be the "same as that of their community."

He prayed for a direction to the State Government to pass appropriate orders setting right the anomaly in its Regulations 2005.

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