The survey intends to receive information and feedback from experts and PWD personnel on easy access to the Supreme Court and the difficulties they face while doing so.
By Aneesha Mathur: With the objective of making the Supreme Court premises disabled-friendly, the court’s Committee on Accessibility issued a questionnaire seeking recommendations from persons with disabilities. The survey intends to receive information and feedback from experts and people with disabilities on easy access to the Supreme Court and the difficulties they face while doing so.
The public responses to the questionnaire, which includes general feedback as well as specific questions regarding access to courtrooms, court proceedings and the filing/listing systems, will be taken by the committee as feedback to create recommendations for the changes required in the physical and digital infrastructure of the Supreme court.
An introduction to the questionnaire, as released on the Supreme Court website read, “The Committee on Accessibility appointed by Hon’ble the Chief Justice of India has been assigned the task of evaluating physical and functional access to the Supreme Court. This evaluation includes the release of a questionnaire for stakeholders who are differently-abled, to provide input on challenges they face in accessing the Supreme Court. The collected input will be used to formulate recommendations aimed at removing barriers to access.”
The Supreme Court’s questionnaire also includes questions on ease of access to courtrooms, parking and toilets, as well as access for persons with different disabilities. For example, the section for persons with visual impairments sought feedback on the need for Braille signage and staff to help with navigation. And the section on hearing impairments asked whether sign language and interpreters should be employed to convey proceedings of the court.
Another questionnaire has also been issued to disability rights activists, which has sought public opinions on steps that the court can take to make its documents and filings more disabled-friendly, suggestions regarding video conferencing and court sitting arrangements, as well as access for women with disabilities.
The Supreme Court set up a committee in December 2022 to consider steps to make the court premises and proceedings more disabled-friendly. Launched on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, on December 3, the Supreme Court’s Committee on Accessibility is headed by Justice S Ravindra Bhat and has been asked to conduct an accessibility audit extending to both physical as well as technological accessibility.
The aim of the questionnaires, as per the Supreme Court, is “to draw out their inputs on how the Supreme Court can ensure comprehensive and holistic end-to-end accessibility for the differently abled.”
Article Credits: India Today
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