Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud has called for a comprehensive accessibility audit of the Supreme Court premises with an aim of ensuring accessibility in the justice system and understanding the hardships faced by the specially abled persons, in their interface with the apex court.
On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities observed on December 3, the CJI has constituted a “Supreme Court Committee on Accessibility” chaired by a sitting judge of the court.
Justice S. Ravindra Bhat has been asked to conduct an accessibility audit extending to both physical as well as technology accessibility. The committee has also been tasked to prepare and release a questionnaire for persons with disabilities who visit the court premises.
Inputs would also be sought by the committee from Supreme Court advocates, litigants, interns, etc.
The committee, which includes a professor from the NLU Bengaluru, shall prepare a report which contains the results of the audit and survey and shall recommend proposals geared towards removing barriers to access.
A differently abled person employed at the Supreme Court, a differently abled advocate nominated by the Supreme Court Bar Association and a person nominated by the Centre for Disability Studies at NALSAR University of Law are other members of the committee.
An officer of the Supreme Court Registry will be the Member-Secretary of the committee.
