In Brief
Mission Accessibility, a disability-rights organisation, petitioned the Supreme Court challenging the Union Public Service Commission's (UPSC) inflexible procedures for Civil Services Examination candidates with disabilities. The main issues were: (1) mandatory scribe details at application with little flexibility for later changes, and (2) denial of assistive technologies (screen-reader software and accessible digital question papers) for visually impaired candidates. The Court held that substantive equality under Articles 14, 16, 21 and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act requires concrete accessibility measures, not merely formal policies. It directed UPSC to permit scribe changes until 7 days before exams and mandated a detailed compliance plan for screen-reader software deployment within two months, with inter-agency coordination. The judgment transforms accessibility from aspirational policy into enforceable constitutional right.
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