India, May 16 -- The Bombay high court last week asked the Maharashtra government to respond to a petition seeking a special recruitment drive to fill all backlog vacancies reserved for differently abled persons in various state departments.

The public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by Mission Accessibility, an NGO founded by visually impaired advocates dedicated to the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities (PwDs). It sought the enforcement of section 34(1) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016, which mandates a 4% horizontal reservation for PwDs in all government establishments, including educational institutions.

The petition, filed through advocates Prithviraj Choudhary and Sharon Patole, highli...