Supreme Court Ruling on RPwD Rules, 2017

• Rule 15 of the RPwD Rules, 2017, was deemed violative of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

• The rule was discretionary, allowing ministries and departments to draft it, contrary to the Act’s mandatory language.

• The removal of Rule 15 resulted in the loss of the accessibility guidelines’ statutory authority, allowing the government three months to develop minimum mandatory accessibility requirements.

• The Court emphasized the need for a principle-based framework on accessibility rules.

• The concept of accessibility has evolved regularly, with the advent of AI and the Internet of Things influencing digital accessibility.

• The minimum accessibility threshold should be envisioned on a sliding scale, moving forward at periodic intervals.

• The RPwD Act defines barriers in broadest forms, including intangible and tangible.

• The lack of standardized guidelines leads to inconsistencies, lack of awareness, and insufficient training for auditors.

• The new accessibility rules must be direct, understandable, and practical.