MAAZ AHMAD Vs. U.O.I

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Heard Shri Rajeiu Kumar Tripathi and Shri Diwakar Singh Gautam learned counsel(s) for the petitioner and Shri S.B. Pandey, learned Senior Advocate and D.S.G.I. assisted by Shri Anand Dwivedi, learned counsel for respondent nos.1 to 4; Shri Gyanendra Kumar Srivastava, learned counsel for respondent no.5; Shri Manish Kumar Srivastava, learned counsel for respondent no.6 and Shri Vikas Rai, learned counsel for respondent no.7.

(2.) Present petition has been filed by the petitioner who is suffering from benchmark disability as defined under the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (hereinafter referred to as "Act").

(3.) It is argued that the present petitioner also belongs to Other Backward Class, for which, a certificate was granted to the petitioner. It is stated that the petitioner after qualifying the CBSE Class-XII examination approached the Chief Medical Officer, Bahraich, an Authority designated under Sec. 57 of the Act and also empowered from the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Govt. of India, in whose case, the locomotor disability was assessed with 70% permanent disability in relation to body and leg of the petitioner. The said certificate is on record as Annexrue No.4. It is also stated that the petitioner was issued a Unique Disability ID (for short 'UDID') on 7/7/2023 by the Competent Authority. The petitioner, desirous of appearing in the NEET examination, held by the NTA, applied in terms of public notice dtd. 7/2/2025 and filled the necessary information as contained in the information bulletin. The petitioner claimed the benefit of reservation which flow in favour of 'persons with benchmark disability' (hereinafter referred to as "PwBD").