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Highlighting the need for a stringent law to protect the dignity of the disabled, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to consider framing a statute to make derogatory remarks ridiculing persons with disabilities and rare genetic disorders a penal offence on the lines of the SC-ST Act. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 criminalises casteist slur, acts of discrimination, humiliation, and violence against the members of SCs and STs and makes offences non-bailable. "Why can't you bring a stringent law on the lines of the SC-ST Act which criminalises casteist remarks - there is punishment if you demean them," a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, appreciated the observation and said humour cannot be at the cost of someone's dignity. The bench also said that there was a need for a "neutral, independent and autonomous" body to regulate .
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday launch a campaign to create awareness and encourage citizen participation in building a barrier-free city for disabled people on the 75th birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The chief minister also said that caregivers of persons with disabilities (PwD) who require special assistance. would be given a monthly assistance of Rs 6,000 under a new scheme. Gupta said, "Our vision is to make Delhi a model accessible city with barrier-free transport, education, healthcare, and public spaces. Inclusion cannot be achieved by government alone; it requires active participation from every citizen." "The objective is to ensure that persons with disabilities get the support they need and can live with dignity," she said. Speaking at the launch event of NAMo Sugamya Rath and Sugamya Delhi Yatra, Gupta said that her government is committed to providing the necessary facilities for persons with disabilities and added that it is the government's resolve
The government has come up with draft accessibility standards for everyday products like kitchenware, furniture and grooming items, proposing non-negotiable rules such as universal design, braille, tactile features and clear labelling on them to ensure barrier-free access for persons with disabilities. Prepared by Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) in accordance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and directions of the Supreme Court, the draft framework is anchored in the globally recognised "POUR" approach, requiring that products must be Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust. This translates into equitable use for all, simple and intuitive designs, tolerance for errors, minimal physical effort, and adequate space for wheelchair or mobility-aid users. The draft sets accessibility rules across 20 major categories of everyday use. The draft covers a wide range of everyday products from kitchenware, food packaging and grooming
Five social media influencers, including "India's Got Latent" host Samay Raina, on Tuesday appeared before the Supreme Court in a case seeking action against them for ridiculing persons suffering from disabilities. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi recorded the presence of the social media influencers and asked them to file their replies to the petition. It also asked them to appear again in-person on the next date of hearing of the case. The top court, however, granted exemption to influencer Sonali Thakkar alias Sonali Aditya Desai to appear virtually on the next date of hearing due to some physical condition. The bench said the social media influencers will have to file their replies in two weeks and no further extension will be granted to them and that their absence on the next date of hearing will be viewed seriously. The top court asked Attorney General R Venkataramani, appearing for the Centre, to prepare social media guidelines by keeping balance of freedo
The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Centre on a plea seeking adequate facilities for disabled prisoners in jails, and implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, in prisons across the country. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the Union of India and others on a plea filed by activist Sathyan Naravoor. "Issue notice, returnable within four weeks," it said. Citing instances of professor G N Saibaba and activist Stan Swamy to highlight the "severe neglect" of disabled prisoners, the plea said necessary provisions should be incorporated in the existing Prisons Act to address the special needs of disabled inmates. Former Delhi University professor Saibaba died on October 12 last year at a state-run hospital in Hyderabad due to health-related complications, seven months after he was acquitted in a case of alleged links with Maoists after 10 years in prison. Swamy, arrested in the Bhima-Koregaon case, died at Mumbai's
New York-headquartered Vertex Global Services on Monday announced its plan to integrate 10-12 per cent of differently-abled individuals into its workforce. The company has an existing employee base of 800-plus and has aggressive plans to take it to over 2,500 in the next four years, according to a statement. It plans to integrate 10-12 per cent of differently-abled individuals into the workforce within next four years, it said. This initiative not only promotes inclusivity but also strengthens the diverse talent pool within the organisation, it noted. In India, it stated, the unemployment rate among individuals who are differently abled remains exceptionally high, with some estimates exceeding 70 per cent. This situation persists despite the existence of legislation that allocates 3 per cent of government positions for them, it noted. Vertex Global Services aims to create a diverse pool of opportunities for differently-abled individuals to receive training in multiple languages,
The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to implement mandatory accessibility standards within three months, in a significant order aimed at improving access to public spaces for persons with disabilities. The order by a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud comes in response to slow progress on the accessibility directives issued by the court in a judgement on December 15, 2017. The bench, also comprising Justice J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, underscored the necessity of "meaningful access" for disabled persons to public spaces and mandated a two-pronged approach: adapting existing infrastructures to accessibility standards, and ensuring that all new infrastructure is designed to be inclusive from the outset. The bench found that one of the rules of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act does not establish enforceable, compulsory standards, but rather, it relies on self-regulation through guidelines. While acknowledging that accessibility ..
NGO National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled has claimed that prolonged imprisonment and inadequate medical care exacerbated pre-existing health issues of former DU professor and disability rights activist G N Saibaba and contributed to his untimely death. Saibaba died at a state-run hospital in Hyderabad due to post-operative complications on Saturday, seven months after he was acquitted in a Maoist links case. He was 54. In a statement, the non-governmental organisation underscored the challenges Saibaba faced during his incarceration and the toll it took on his health. The former professor, who had polio and was affected by multiple severe health conditions, was released just months ago after 10 years in prison on charges that the NPRD termed "false". Despite his release being hailed as a victory for justice, his freedom was tragically short-lived, it said. According to the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), Saibaba's prolonged imprisonment and ...
Disability rights activists and transgender advocates have raised alarms over the non-inclusion of provisions outlined in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPDA), 2016 and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act (TPA), 2019 in the National Medical Commission's revised Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) Curriculum. In a letter addressed to Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Dr Virendra Kumar, the leaders of disability and transgender communities expressed their dismay. The letter penned by Central Advisory Board on Disability Chairperson Dr Satendra Singh and Association for Transgender Health in India CEO Air Commodore (Retd.) Dr Sanjay Sharma highlighted how the new curriculum, released on August 31, 2024, fails to address critical issues impacting these marginalized groups. "The curriculum has been deemed outdated and archaic, contradicting the Supreme Court judgements and previous guidelines," stated the letter. The controversy led to
Since the start of the Olympics, Ndieme Lame has been commuting every day to the Stade de France where she works as a volunteer helping visitors find their way. The 57-year-old wheelchair user is in awe at how easy it's been to cross the city on public transit to reach the Olympic stadium. I never would have believed I could make it here almost on my own, she said Wednesday after her 1 & 1/2-hour commute from her home in southern Paris. Her daily journey highlights the city's efforts to improve accessibility for people with disabilities ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics. Lame said an online system that lets her book assistance at commuter train stations has been particularly helpful. Challenges remain, however, particularly in the underground Metro system where most stations are not fully accessible to people in wheelchairs. And, Lame wonders whether the train station assistants will still be there after the Paralympics, which start just over two weeks after the Olympics ...
Cultural diversity is missing from the country's advertising, a report by the industry's self-regulatory body ASCI and a UN body said on Tuesday. The report said that less than one per cent of promotional campaigns feature persons belonging to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) community as well as disabled, while only 4 per cent campaigns show people aged above 65. The study by Kantar on behalf of Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) and UN Women Convened Unstereotype Alliance scrutinised over 261 ads in 13 languages, and mapped them on dimensions of age, gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, physical appearance, social class, disabilities, and religion. "Ads that are stuck in stereotypical depictions are missing a trick in connecting with India's diverse consumer base," ASCI's chief executive and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, adding progressive advertising works better for society and for brands. With 45 per cent of ...
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged the insurance regulator Idrai to make insurance companies follow the spirit of the law of the land to ensure that the disabled get hassle-free health insurance by designing special products for them. A panel meeting of the representatives of the NHRC, Irdai, the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People and some key finance ministry officials here Friday called for rationalising and institutionalising insurance for the disabled. Disability advocacy groups have long been pushing for comprehensive health coverage for the disabled. Following the December 2022 guidelines issued by the Delhi High Court, Irdai, in February 2023, mandated insurers to offer annual health coverage to disabled, HIV-positive, and mentally disabled people. The regulator had also instructed insurers to devise inclusive insurance products aligned with the essential recommendations for the disabled. However, insurers are limiting the ...
French authorities say 11 adults are missing after a fire broke out early on Wednesday in a holiday home for people with disabilities in eastern France while 17 others have been evacuated. Interior minister Gerald Darmanin tweeted that early this morning, a fire broke out in a facility for disabled people" in the small town of Wintzenheim, close to the border with Germany. "Despite the rapid and courageous intervention of the fire department ... several casualties are reported, he said. Rescue operations were still ongoing. The local administration of the Haut-Rhin region said the fire broke out at 6:30 am in private accommodation in Wintzenheim. Seventeen people were evacuated, including 1 person sent to hospital in a relative emergency." Eleven people from the group of adults, who usually live in the city of Nancy, in eastern France, are still missing, the statement said. The building was being used ... for their vacation, the statement said. The fire department deployed 76 ...