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Sujata Bora v. Coal India Limited & Ors.

Not available · 2026 INSC 53Decided 13 Jan 2026
Not available
Justice J.B. Pardiwala · Justice K.V. Viswanathan

Background

A visually-impaired candidate cleared her interview under the reserved category but was later declared medically unfit because she also had a secondary condition the rigid "VH-only" category didn't accommodate.

Decision Breakdown

After an independent AIIMS medical assessment confirmed she met the disability threshold, the Supreme Court held employers must provide "reasonable accommodation" rather than deny eligible candidates over rigid single-category disability forms, and directed a supernumerary post be created for her.

Lesson Learnt

Employers cannot deny a genuinely eligible person with disabilities a job merely because recruitment forms use rigid, single-category disability boxes: reasonable accommodation is a legal obligation.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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