Apex Court hearing matter on accessibility for disabled persons in public infrastructure

In the case of Rajive Raturi vs. Union of India, the Supreme Court is currently hearing the plea of the petitioner, a visually impaired person, that all public infrastructure, facilities and services must be made accessible to persons with disabilities all over India. The Court has taken serious note of the lack of attention by public authorities to ensure that the built up environment, transport, and communication and information services are accessible by disabled persons. The Court has asked the Government of India to provide it a status report as to the progress made in this area as per the mandate of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995. The Court will hear the matter next in April 2016 and is likely to pass impact generating directions to the Government in this regard.