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Disability Rights Ignored in University Elections
26 Aug
Summary
- Two specially-abled students faced nomination rejection for PUCSC elections.
- A visually impaired candidate was rejected for being overage.
- A student with locomotor disability missed deadlines for medical certificates.
Nominations for the Panjab University Campus Students' Council (PUCSC) elections, scheduled for August 31, have seen some candidates, including two with disabilities, being rejected.
Naresh Kumar, a visually impaired student and candidate for general secretary with the Ambedkar Students' Forum, was disqualified on grounds of being overage. His party stated he was the first visually impaired student to contest, but university authorities reportedly did not provide satisfactory action despite legal protections for persons with disabilities.
This situation led to a protest by ASF members on Tuesday evening. Another candidate, Jyoti Negi, a first-year master's student, had her nomination for the DR seat rejected. Negi, who has a locomotor disability and scoliosis, cited difficulties in obtaining medical certificates due to her physiotherapy schedule.
Negi emphasized that relaxations for specially-abled candidates have been made in student polls previously, asserting her right under the Indian Constitution while managing daily commutes from Nayagaon.
