Kerala High Court Orders Government Department Not to Deny Scholarship Application of Visually Impaired Law Student Due to Missing UDID Card.
The Kerala High Court supported a visually impaired law student by instructing the Department of Empowerment of Persons With Disabilities and the Scholarships Department not to deny his scholarship application due to the lack of a UDID Card. The student filed a Writ Petition asking the department to let him finish his application on the NSP portal using his Disability Certificate and Disability ID card, without needing automatic data retrieval from the UDID portal. Justice V.G. Arun, on the Single-Judge Bench, considered the Disability Certificate from the Government of Andhra Pradesh, which confirmed a permanent disability of 75% with no need for reassessment.
Advocate Arun Thomas represented the student. The student also requested the Court to prevent the departments from rejecting his application for not submitting the UDID card while the Writ Petition is being resolved. The Bench stated, “Since it seems unfair to deny the petitioner his rightful benefits for reasons beyond his control, the respondents are instructed not to reject his application due to the missing UDID Card.” The High Court has scheduled the next hearing for December 3, 2024.
Cause Title: Golla Madhu v. Department of Empowerment of Persons With Disabilities [Case No.- WP(C) No.42738/2024]
