The Karnataka High Court held Section 2(r) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, while dismissing a petition by Karnataka State Law University, challenging an earlier verdict of the court which directed the conduction of Semester III exams for a differently-abled student with objective type questions instead of descriptive ones.
The student, Krishna, suffers from 46 per cent overall impairment affecting the brain and eyes. He is pursuing the five years integrated law degree at Vaikunta Baliga Law College, affiliated to the university. He utilised the services of a scribe during his Semester I exams. However, the university informed him that he couldn't do so again without permission, as mentioned in a report by LiveLaw.in.
The student then requested the university to conduct exams with objective questions. But after no response in this regard, Krishna approached the Karnataka High Court. A single-judge bench disposed of the petition directing the university to consider his grievance and take appropriate measures. Though the varsity allowed representation, it refused to entertain the request for objective-type questions.
This led Krishna to reapproach the high court. The court took note of relevant guidelines issued by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disability, asking the varsity to comply. The court additionally directed the student to undergo a medical examination. "If it is certified that the respondent is suffering from low vision to the extent of 40 per cent or more, provide objective questions instead of descriptive questions," the court observed, as per LiveLaw.in.
