Your proposed representation is well drafted and adopts the correct tone. I would, however, make it slightly more strategic. At this stage, you should not appear to be rejecting individual relief. Instead, request the Commissioner to (i) grant relief in your wife's case in compliance with the High Court's directions, and (ii) simultaneously recommend a policy amendment to the Government so that similarly placed persons with benchmark disabilities are not compelled to litigate repeatedly.
A suggested redraft is:
Respected Sir,
I sincerely thank Your Goodself for granting a personal hearing pursuant to the directions of the Hon'ble High Court.
During the course of the hearing, I respectfully submitted that my request is not confined to obtaining relief only for my wife, Dr. Naima Fathima, who is a person with 90% benchmark locomotor disability. While I would be grateful for the relief sought in her individual case, my larger concern is that all similarly situated Divyangjan should receive the benefit uniformly without being compelled to approach the High Court in each individual case.
The object of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, read with the notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways dated 03.02.2023, is to facilitate equal access and non-discriminatory treatment. If relief is granted only on a case-to-case basis after litigation, it would inevitably result in similarly placed persons being forced to undertake avoidable legal proceedings, which would be inconsistent with the spirit of the RPwD Act and Article 14 of the Constitution.
My vehicle is already about two years old and has covered nearly 70,000 kilometres. The delay in consideration has resulted in avoidable litigation, financial burden and practical difficulties relating to registration and insurance, all of which could have been avoided had appropriate relief been granted on my initial representation dated 20.09.2024.
I therefore most respectfully request Your Goodself to kindly pass a reasoned order in my wife's case in accordance with law and, at the same time, recommend to the Government that the existing policy be suitably amended or clarified so that all eligible persons with benchmark disabilities owning non-adapted vehicles receive the benefit uniformly without the necessity of approaching the Courts individually.
I shall remain grateful if the final order also considers the applicability of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, the MoRTH Notification dated 03.02.2023, and the observations and directions contained in the judgment of the Hon'ble High Court.
Yours faithfully,
Prof. Mohammed Eliyas
(On behalf of Dr. Naima Fathima)
Legally, your strategy should be:
- Accept individual relief if granted. There is no disadvantage in doing so.
- Simultaneously seek a recommendation for a policy amendment. The Commissioner may not have the power to amend the policy himself, but he can recommend such an amendment to the Government.
- If the Government thereafter continues to deny the benefit to other similarly placed persons despite the Commissioner's recommendation, that issue can independently be challenged under Article 14 and the RPwD Act.
I would not advise making the representation sound as though you are willing to forgo your wife's relief in pursuit of a larger policy change. Secure the individual relief first, while requesting systemic reform. That approach is legally stronger and more likely to receive a favourable response from the Commissioner.