Visually Disabled Candidate Alleges Medical Review Cost Her IAS Seat; Delhi HC Seeks Centre's Stand
IAS Disability Reservation Case: The Delhi High Court has sought clarification from the Central government in a case filed by a visually disabled Civil Services Examination candidate who alleges that an irregular additional medical review resulted in her losing an IAS vacancy reserved for candidates with blindness or low vision.
The petitioner is:
Ganatra Komal Pravinbhai.
What Is the Case About?
Pravinbhai secured:
All India Rank 592 in the Civil Services Examination 2012.
The results were published in 2013.
She was allocated the Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service.
She argues that she should instead have been allocated an Indian Administrative Service seat reserved for a visually disabled candidate.
What Does the Petitioner Allege?
The petition concerns two candidates who ranked above her:
- Shailaja Sharma – AIR 39
- Lipin Raj MP – AIR 224
According to Pravinbhai's case, the initial Medical Board and Appellate Medical Board did not find the two candidates eligible for disability reservation.
She alleges that another Review Medical Board was subsequently constituted and granted them the reservation benefit.
Petitioner Calls It a “Super Appellate Board”
The petitioner has challenged the legality of constituting an additional review body after the Appellate Medical Board had already given its opinion.
Her legal argument is that the applicable CSE rules contemplated a Medical Board and an Appellate Medical Board, but not another level of review.
Delhi High Court Seeks Centre's Affidavit
On September 3, the Delhi High Court directed the Union government to clarify whether this type of Review Medical Board is routinely constituted after an Appellate Medical Board has rendered its decision.
The affidavit must be filed by an officer:
Not below the rank of Secretary.
Which Bench Is Hearing the Case?
The matter is before a Bench of:
- Justice Anil Kshetarpal
- Justice Shail Jain
What Relief Does Pravinbhai Seek?
She seeks allocation to the IAS against:
- A reserved vacancy
- A backlog vacancy
- Or a supernumerary vacancy
depending on what relief the court considers legally available.
CAT Had Earlier Rejected Her Challenge
Pravinbhai initially approached the Central Administrative Tribunal.
In 2018, CAT dismissed her challenge.
The Tribunal found no legal error requiring the existing allocation to be disturbed and also noted the consequences of reopening cadre allocations after several years.
Delhi HC Is Reviewing the CAT Decision
The current High Court case challenges that Tribunal decision.
The Court has not yet ruled on whether the Review Medical Board was unlawful.
Why the Case Matters
The dispute raises broader questions involving:
- Disability certification
- Reserved civil-service vacancies
- Medical-board hierarchy
- Consistency in UPSC medical assessment
- Administrative fairness
Important Legal Clarification
The petitioner's allegations remain allegations.
The fact that the High Court has sought a government explanation does not mean the Court has concluded that the other candidates were wrongly certified or that the petitioner was unlawfully denied IAS allocation.
Next Hearing
The case is scheduled to be heard next on:
September 14, 2026.
Official Links
Delhi High Court:
https://delhihighcourt.nic.in/
UPSC:
https://upsc.gov.in/
FAQs
Who filed the case?
Ganatra Komal Pravinbhai.
What rank did she secure?
AIR 592 in CSE 2012.
Was she selected for a civil service?
Yes. She was allocated the Armed Forces Headquarters Civil Service.
Has Delhi HC ruled that her IAS seat was wrongly denied?
No. The case is still being heard.
What has the Court asked the Centre to explain?
Whether Review Medical Boards are constituted after Appellate Medical Boards and what authority supports that practice.
Conclusion
The case could have implications beyond one historic CSE allocation because it asks how disability assessments can be reviewed and whether medical-board procedures are being applied consistently.
The next important development will be the Central government's affidavit and the Delhi High Court hearing scheduled for September 14.
