The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the government for not complying with its directions last year to make public places disabled-friendly.
A Bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan asked the Centre to file a fresh affidavit detailing the work done so far and fixing a deadline to complete the directions of the court issued in its judgment on December 15, 2017.
The court also turned its ire on the States for not making any effort.
It said further disobedience ran the risk of the Chief Secretaries having to be present in the courtroom to explain their apathy.
“We are not running the government. It is you who have to follow the law,” Justice Sikri observed.
The Delhi government sought the court’s approval to switch back to standard-floor buses instead of the low-floor ones. The government said it would bear the ₹5 lakh each for hydraulic lifts for each bus.
On December 15 last year, the court gave 11 directions to make public transport, government offices and educational institutions disabled-friendly.
It said it was imperative to provide proper and safe access to roads, transport, buildings and public places to differently-abled people so that they could enjoy a meaningful life and contribute to the progress of the nation.
The top court said the right to dignity, which is ensured in the constitutional set up for every citizen, applies with much more vigour in cases of persons suffering from disability and it was duty of the State and public authorities to lay down proper norms.
