telangana-ias-in-trouble-for-criticising-disability-quota

A social media post by senior IAS officer of Telangana cadre, Smita Sabharwal, questioning the provision of reservations for differently-abled persons in the Civil Services, triggered a major row, with many demanding her apology and even resignation.

 

Sabharwal’s comments came amid the ongoing controversy surrounding Puja Khedkar, a trainee IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre, who allegedly availed of concessions for physical disability and OBC category through wrongful claims.

 

On Monday, Sabharwal posted on X: “With all due respect to the Differently Abled. Does an Airline hire a pilot with a disability? Or would you trust a surgeon with a disability? The nature of the #AIS (IAS/IPS/IFoS) is field work, long taxing hours, and listening first-hand to people’s grievances-which requires physical fitness. Why does this premier service need this Quota in the first place!”

 

Prominent coach and mentor of civil services aspirants in Hyderabad, Bala Latha Mallavarapu, challenged Sabharwal to sit for the UPSC examination again and beat her score. Mallavarapu, also a physically challenged candidate who had cracked civil services twice in the past but gave it up to train the IAS aspirants, demanded that Smita tender a public apology within 24 hours or resign from her post.

 

She also appealed to the Telangana chief minister to take disciplinary action against the IAS officer.

 

She said disabilities should not be a basis for discrimination. She questioned what impact Sabharwal made with her fieldwork during the previous BRS regime. Sabharwal was the special secretary in the chief minister’s office during the regime of BRS president and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

 

“Her statements reflect a lack of understanding of administration and the challenges faced by the disabled,” Mallavarapu said.

 

The IAS officer’s comments evoked strong protests on social media, too. “This is such a pathetic and exclusionary view to have. Interesting to see how bureaucrats are showing their limited thoughts and their privilege too,” Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said.

 

Senior Supreme Court advocate Karuna Nandy also posted on X: “Amazed that an IAS officer would be so fundamentally ignorant about disability. Most disabilities have no impact on stamina. Or intelligence. But this tweet shows enlightenment and diversity are badly needed.”

 

National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People trustee Arvind Gupta, too, found fault with Sabharwal for doubting the abilities of the disabled people in civil service.

 

However, Sabharwal defended her observation. “See a lot of outrage on my timeline. I suppose addressing the elephant in the room gets you that reaction. Would request the Rights Activists to also examine why this quota has still not been implemented in the IPS/IFoS and certain sectors like defence. My limited point is that the IAS is no different. To live in an inclusive society is a dream that we all subscribe to. Insensitivity has no place in my mind. Jai Hind,” she posted.

 

M Nageswar Rao, an ex-IPS who also served as CBI director, took to X and questioned the disability quota in civil services.

“When you don’t recruit the best for the government, you can’t expect the best from the government. People don’t accept a person with disabilities as their private office peon, private driver, or even a maid at home, but they want the government to recruit them into the civil service to become district collectors, etc. Irony just died a thousand deaths!” he tweeted.

He also added that affirmative action is necessary, but “multi-generational reservation, OBC Creamy Layer, EWS, PwD, etc. in the name of that is not only a big sham but downright anti-national.”