In the High Court, Judy Brown will challenge plans to exempt the Royal Mail from laws requiring public bodies to promote equality for the disabled.

Her husband, Jonathan Coe, said it was an "outrage" that the service had been cut from the list of tens of thousands of public bodies subject to the rules.

Business Secretary John Hutton - now overseeing the highly-controversial closure programme of 2,500 post offices - exempted Royal Mail from the Disability Equality Duty (DED) in 2006.

Around 45,000 public bodies are covered by the DED which is meant to ensure they pay 'due regard' to the promotion of equality for disabled people in every area of their work.

A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: "The Royal Mail group is still legally required to ensure that all its services are accessible to all disabled people and that it does not discriminate against disabled people in any aspects of its work, in line with the Disability Discrimination Act.

"There is nothing whatsoever in this case that reduces those obligations.

"This particular case rests on specific technical legal arguments about whether certain aspects of the Disability Equality Duty - a legal duty to actively promote equality of opportunity for disabled people - apply to the Royal Mail Group.

"We believe we have applied the law correctly."

Speaking about Mrs Brown's case, he added: "The Administrative Court Judge found no arguable case against the Department for Work and Pensions. However, the claimant's request for an oral hearing of her application for permission will take place on May 12 and we will await the outcome of this."



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