The Bombay High Court held that since the guidelines for recruitment medical examination in Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles, do not specifically disqualify candidates with a subtle lisp and the Petitioner does not suffer from stammering, the benefit of doubt should be given to the Petitioner. The stage of issuing commands to Jawans in the Forces is yet to come for the Petitioner, and the guidelines referred to do not include subtle lisp as a disqualification. Therefore, the objection of subtle lisp as a ground for disqualification cannot be sustained at this stage.
The Court therefore quashed the impugned disqualification on the ground of subtle lisp, and held the Petitioner entitled to undertake further rounds of selection as may be prescribed, strictly in accordance with the rules and procedure applicable to the concerned Forces. The Court clarified that it had only overruled the objection of subtle lisp at this stage, and the Petitioner would be eligible to participate in the further selection process.
The Court also granted liberty to the Petitioner to undertake focused tongue exercises, minor practice, or seek assistance from a professional speech therapist. The Court further clarified that if, at a future stage, the Petitioner is considered for promotion to a position requiring issuance of loud commands, the concerned Authorities would be at liberty to subject him to a proper medical test to determine if the subtle lisp persists and whether it is an impediment, and to take an appropriate decision accordingly.
The Division Bench comprising Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge and Justice Abhay J. Mantri noted that the communication dated 9th December, 2025, from the CISF Unit, ISP Nashik, stated that the Petitioner was declared unfit due to speech abnormality (subtle lisp) after careful examination and specialist opinion. The communication further explained that a lisp is a type of speech impediment where sounds like ‘S’ and ‘Z’ are pronounced imperfectly, creating a soft, slushy sound, and that effective communication is a basic requirement for the force.
The guidelines for recruitment medical examination in Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles, revised as of May 2015, were examined. Clause 5(d) mentions “Speech should be without impediment i.e. no stammering”, Clause 6(4) refers to “Generally impaired constitution, so as to impede efficient discharge of training/duties”, Clause 6(9) mentions “Stammering, as specified later”, and Clause 7(f) under ‘Minor Acceptable Defects’ mentions “Slight stammering- If stammering appears after 4-5 sentences”, added the Bench.
Accordingly, the Bench concluded that the guidelines do not include subtle lisp as a disqualification and that subtle lisp is a minor articulation disorder which can be addressed with focused tongue exercises, minor practice, or professional speech therapy.
Briefly, the Petitioner, aged 25 years and a student residing in Maharashtra, was declared medically unfit for further tests in the recruitment process for the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) on the ground that he has a ‘Speech Abnormality’, specifically diagnosed as ‘subtle lisp’. Initially, he was declared unfit due to both ‘Speech Abnormality’ and ‘Pectus Excavatum’, but upon review, only the speech abnormality was considered.
The Petitioner does not suffer from stammering but from a subtle lisp, which is a slight mispronunciation of ‘S’ and ‘Z’ sounds, often involving a minor tongue placement issue. The Petitioner is otherwise fit to undergo the further rounds of the selection process, and there is no dispute regarding his physical fitness except for the subtle lisp.
Appearances:
Advocate Pawankumar R. Prasad, for the Petitioner
Advocates Rui Rodrigues and Aalekh Wagh, for the Respondent
