A senior bureaucrat from Telangana has ignited a firestorm over disability rights in India.
The controversy comes on the heels of the highly publicized case of Pooja Khedkar, a Maharashtra probationary IAS officer whose disability certificate is under scrutiny.
Smita Sabharwal, member secretary of the Telangana Finance Commission, took to social media to express reservations about disability quotas in the prestigious All India Civil Services (IAS/IPS/IFoS) exams. Her post questioned the suitability of people with disabilities for these roles, citing the demanding nature of the job which often involves fieldwork, travel, and in-person grievance redressal. She compared these requirements to professions like pilots and surgeons, where physical limitations could be a safety concern.
Sabharwal’s remarks sparked outrage on social media. Disability rights activists and the general public condemned her views as insensitive and exclusionary. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi took a strong stance, calling Sabharwal’s perspective “limited” and a reflection of bureaucratic privilege.
However, Sabharwal defended her position. She argued that officials have a responsibility to raise concerns about the practicalities of governance, and her views stemmed from her extensive, 24-year career in civil service.
