In Brief
A visually disabled person filed a public interest petition seeking accessible facilities for disabled persons on roads and in transport systems. The Supreme Court held that disabled persons have constitutional rights under Articles 14, 19 and 21 to safe, accessible public facilities as a matter of human dignity and equality. The Court recognized that equality requires positive accommodation, not just non-discrimination. It found these rights are reinforced by the Disabilities Act, 2016, which mandates accessibility standards for buildings, transport, and information systems by June 2019. The Court issued time-bound directions to all States and Union Territories to identify and retrofit government buildings, make transport accessible, ensure website compliance, and constitute statutory Advisory Boards within three months, with compliance reports due thereafter.
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