Haryana Grants Equal Retirement Rights to All Disabled Employees

On November 17, 2025, the Haryana high court delivered a significant ruling that extends the retirement age for all differently abled employees in the state to 60 years. Previously, under Rule 143 of the Haryana Civil Service (General) Rules, only those with a minimum disability of 70% or above, or those who were blind, were eligible for the extended retirement age.

The high court bench, comprising Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor, struck down this rule, finding it to be in violation of Article 14 of the Indian Constitution as well as the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. The court determined that there was no reasonable justification for the state government to limit the benefit of extended retirement to a select group of disabled employees.

The ruling came in response to a series of petitions filed earlier this year by differently abled employees who challenged the discriminatory nature of the 70% disability threshold. The court observed that persons with 40% or more disability constitute a homogenous group, and any further classification to deny them the same retirement benefits would be unlawful.

With this landmark judgment, all disabled workers in Haryana who hold a valid disability certificate will now be entitled to serve until the age of 60, bringing them on par with their able-bodied counterparts. The court has left it to the state government to decide whether to extend this benefit to all employees, regardless of their disability status.