The Delhi High Court ruled that vitiligo is a valid medical reason to reject candidates for recruitment in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). The court stated that the skin condition, which causes loss of skin color, can affect job duties and is a fair reason for disqualification. This decision came after a petition questioned the medical standards for selection. The judgment supports the CAPF’s right to set rules based on the nature of their work.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court made a important ruling stating that a candidate with vitiligo is ineligible for recruitment into the armed forces.
This decision came after the candidate challenged the rejection of his application for the position of Assistant Commandant in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
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The argument was presented that although the candidate had vitiligo, it was located in a covered area, and that in the Air Force, candidates with this condition are allowed to enlist if it is under such areas.
However, Ashish Dixit, the Central Government Standing Counsel representing the Ministry of Home Affairs and ITBP, argued that vitiligo is classified as a specific disability under the ITBP recruitment rules, which were clearly outlined in the job advertisement. He pointed out that the Home Ministry’s 2015 guidelines also list vitiligo as a valid reason for disqualification.
The Division Bench, consisting of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Shailender Kaur, upheld this argument, stating,
“It is clear that the disease of vitiligo is an absolute reason for the rejection of the candidature. Merely because in other armed forces the disqualification is further qualified or whittled down, it cannot be a ground to import that condition into the present recruitment process. The respondent is bound to scrupulously follow the advertisement and the conditions laid down therein. Applying which, the petitioner has been rightly rejected from being considered for the said post.”
Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune disorder that results in patches of skin losing pigment, occurring when melanocytes skin cells responsible for pigment production are attacked and destroyed, leading to a milky-white appearance of the skin.
Vitiligo is a long-lasting skin condition where the color of the skin is lost in some areas. This happens because the cells that make skin color, called melanocytes, get damaged or stop working. It causes white patches on the skin, which can be of different sizes and appear anywhere on the body.
The case shows the ongoing conflict between keeping strict rules for armed forces recruitment and giving fair chances to people with treatable medical conditions.