Supreme Court Directs Union To Frame Mandatory Rules Under Rights Of Persons With Disabilities Act For Accessibility Of Public Spaces

In a significant judgment boosting disability rights, the Supreme Court on Friday directed the Union Government to frame mandatory rules as required under Section 40 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 for ensuring that public places and services accessible to persons with disabilities.The Court held that Rule 15 of the Rights of Persons With Disabilities Rules,. In a significant judgment boosting disability rights, the Supreme Court on Friday directed the Union Government to frame mandatory rules as required under Section 40 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 for ensuring that public places and services accessible to persons with disabilities. The Court held that Rule 15 of the Rights of Persons With Disabilities Rules, 2017 is ultra vires the parent Act, since it does not provide mandatory guidelines on accessibility. The Court noted that the CDS report opined that while the RPWD Act creates a mechanism for mandatory compliance with a set of non-negotiable accessibility rules, the Right of Persons with Disabilities Rules, create a mechanism which only prescribes self- regulatory guidelines.