Delhi High Court recently gave an important decision saying that candidates suffering from vitiligo (white spots) are not eligible for recruitment in the armed forces. The decision came on a petition filed by a youth who was declared ineligible for the post of Assistant Commandant in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) force due to vitiligo disease. The court made it clear that there is no need to treat the recruitment rules of different armed forces as uniform.
Petitioner’s arguments
The petitioner told the court that he is suffering from vitiligo, but the disease is limited only to those parts of the body which are covered with clothes. He gave the example that under the recruitment rules of the Indian Air Force, such candidates are considered eligible whose vitiligo is limited to the parts of the body covered with clothes.
government’s side
During the hearing, central government’s standing counsel Ashish Dixit presented the side of the Home Ministry and ITBP. He said that vitiligo is specifically included among the reasons for ineligibility under the recruitment rules of ITBP. Apart from this, the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2015 also consider vitiligo as a ground for disqualification in the recruitment process. He also said that this information was already clearly given in the recruitment advertisement.
court decision
The bench of Justice Naveen Chawla and Justice Shailendra Kaur said in this case that the condition of vitiligo is a solid ground for disqualifying the candidate. The Court clarified that if relaxation for this disqualification is given in other armed forces, it does not mean that the same rules will be applicable in the recruitment process of ITBP also.
The court also said that the petitioner should have followed the conditions given in the recruitment advertisement. On the basis of these conditions he was declared ineligible and this decision is justified.
What is vitiligo?
Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease in which the natural color of the skin of the body disappears. It occurs when the skin’s melanocytes (pigment-making cells) are destroyed. Due to this, some parts of the skin become white, which are clearly visible. Although this disease is not physically harmful, its social and mental effects can be profound.
