'Supreme Court Opened Doors Of Accessibility For Persons With Disabilities' : Prof Amita Dhanda | Interview

In a significant ruling boosting disability rights, the Supreme Court on 8th November directed the Central 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 further 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 in asking the government to segregate standards which must be followed from standards which may be followed have made the observance of accessibility norms a non-negotiable obligation for all. Even as you describe the judgement as revolutionary, there are many disability rights lawyers who feel that the judgment by striking down the rules formulated under Rule 15 may jeopardise the many cases they have filed to enforce the Accessibility India campaign and provide the government an excuse to unilaterally extend the timelines provided in sections 45 and 46 of the RPD Act 2016.