Supreme Court in CH. Joseph vs. Telangana State Road Transport Corporation & Ors. [SLP (C) No. 36278/2017]on August 1, 2025, ruled that an employee who acquires a disability during the course of employment cannot be prematurely retired without the employer first exploring reasonable accommodations, including reassignment to suitable alternative roles. In this case, the employee was declared medically unfit to drive due to colour blindness, following which his services were terminated without any attempt to consider alternate employment within the organisation. The Court held that such actions violate both constitutional and statutory duties, reaffirming that employees must not be “abandoned or prematurely retired” solely because of a newly acquired disability. Relying on its earlier decision in Kunal Singh vs. Union of India [(2003) 4 SCC 524], the Court reiterated that medical unfitness for one post does not imply incapacity to perform all roles. It directed the employer to reinstate the employee in a suitable alternative position on the same pay scale, reinforcing the principle of inclusive employment and the obligation to reasonably accommodate under Indian law.
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