Karnataka High Court orders state to explain disability commissioner appointment

The Karnataka High Court on Thursday ordered the state government to respond to a petition challenging the appointment of Dr. Venkataramanaswamy S.V. as State Commissioner for Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Justice S. Sunil Dutt Yadav delivered the order on a petition filed by Praveen Ullagaddi, a 43‑year‑old advocate and disability‑rights activist from Belagavi who lives with an 80 % permanent locomotor disability. Ullagaddi, who had applied for the post, described the selection process as opaque, arbitrary and non‑transparent. The post became vacant on March 5, 2026 and was advertised on March 7 in English and Kannada newspapers under Section 79 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Ullagaddi submitted his application on April 4; the notice says about 47 applications were received. A search‑cum‑selection committee was set up under Rule 31 of the Karnataka State Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2019, but Ullagaddi says he was never informed of short‑listing, the committee’s composition, or the criteria used to pick the appointee. He argues the process breaches Rule 31, which requires a panel of three candidates that must include at least one disabled member or caregiver, and violates Article 14 of the Constitution. Ullagaddi seeks a court direction for a fresh, transparent selection that considers his application.

Context

The 2016 Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act mandates open recruitment for commissioner roles, while Article 14 guarantees equal treatment. Legal challenges such as this test whether state bodies follow those statutory and constitutional safeguards.