Savvy Thakur
Published on: 05 December 2022 at 22:22 IST
The Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud has established a committee to investigate accessibility issues for the disabled at the Supreme Court, just a few days after he personally arose during a hearing to meet a disabled litigant outside the courtroom.
Justice S Ravindra Bhat will be in charge of the “Supreme Court Committee on Accessibility,” which has been tasked with carrying out an extensive accessibility audit of the Supreme Court’s facilities.
According to a Sunday, press release from the Supreme Court, the audit will cover both technology and physical accessibility.
A questionnaire for people with disabilities who visit the Supreme Court premises to determine the nature and scope of their issues has also been assigned to the Committee for preparation and distribution.
In addition, the committee consists of:
– A Bengaluru-based professor from NLSIU;
– Supreme Court employee with different abilities;
– A Supreme Court Bar Association-nominated Differently Abled Advocate;
– A person suggested by NALSAR University’s Centre for Disability Studies.
The committee’s member secretary will be a Supreme Court registry officer.
The Committee will also solicit input from advocates, litigants, interns, and other members of the Supreme Court. The press release stated that the Committee, which will also include a professor from NLU Bengaluru, will prepare a report that will include the audit and survey results and recommendations for removing access barriers.