Mangaluru: In the backdrop continuous rain, Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh on Wednesday issued red-alert in the District on October 24, Thursday.

Meteorological Department of Karnataka has predicted heavy rain in the three coastal Districts of Karnataka and has issued red-warning in all three Districts for three days starting October 24.

Speaking at a press conference Sindhu Rupesh added that the continuous rain that has gripped the District since October 18 has not claimed any lives in the District but has caused damaged 42 houses across the District.

She further added that 33 houses has sustained partial damages while 9 houses in the District have collapsed due to rain in last one week. She also announced compensation of Rs. 5 lakh to the families whose houses have collapsed while also announcing a Rs. 50,000/- compensation to the families whose houses have been partially damaged.

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New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday said "unreserved" vacancies for Persons with Disabilities (PWD) are an open pool where merit remains the decisive factor and that eligible candidates belonging to any social or special category can be employed.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and N Kotiswar Singh set aside a judgement of the Calcutta High Court, saying the "unreserved" category is not a separate "social category" but an open field for all.

It held that a more meritorious PWD candidate belonging to a reserved category like OBC, SC, or ST cannot be barred from an unreserved PWD post simply because a candidate from the "General" category is also available.

"In reservation law, it is well settled that the Unreserved/Open category does not refer to any social/communal category like SCs, STs or OBC. In other words, any post falling under the Unreserved or Open category does not pertain to any particular social category, it provides an open field or pool meant for the world at large, in the sense that it is open to all candidates, irrespective of whether one belongs to any social or special category or not," Justice Singh, who authored the verdict, said.

The court said if an unreserved or open post is meant for the special category of Persons with Disabilities, it means that the said post will be open to all candidates of all vertical social categories, whether Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) or Other Backward Classes (OBC), provided such candidates are also PWD.

"Thus, all candidates, whether SC, ST or OBC, but who are Persons with Disabilities, are equally entitled to compete for the post meant for Persons with Disabilities falling under the Unreserved category, the rationale being that all those who are similarly situated must be treated equally," it said.

The case arose from a recruitment drive of the West Bengal State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (WBSETCL) for the post of Junior Engineer (Civil) Grade-II.

The notification included one post specifically earmarked for Unreserved (Persons with Disabilities -- Low Vision).

The controversy involved two candidates, an unreserved category candidate with low vision who scored 55.667 marks and an OBC candidate, also with low vision, who scored 66.667 marks.

The WBSETCL appointed the OBC candidate to the post based on his higher merit.

This was challenged by the general category candidate who said since he was a "qualified unreserved candidate", the vacancy should have gone to him and that reserved category candidates should only be considered if no unreserved PWD candidate is available.

While a single-judge bench of the high court dismissed the plea, a division bench reversed that decision, directing the employer to appoint the less-meritorious unreserved candidate.

The WBSETCL had then appealed to the Supreme Court.