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Supreme Court of India. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
Observing that the Constitution envisions persons with disabilities participating successful the nation’s corporate travel connected an adjacent footing, the Supreme Court connected Wednesday directed the easing of the process for changing scribes successful examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission and mandated the deployment of screen-reader bundle for visually impaired candidates. A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was proceeding a petition filed by Mission Accessibility, an organisation moving to beforehand disablement rights, which sought a modification of the UPSC’s timeline for scribe registration and support for eligible candidates to usage laptops equipped with screen-reader bundle and accessible integer question papers during the Civil Services Examination. “The UPSC, being the premier law assemblage entrusted with upholding the values of merit and fairness successful nationalist recruitment, indispensable guarantee that its processes are accessible, transparent, and delicate to the needs of each conception of society. It is truthful imperative that the directions issued herein are carried retired with utmost earnestness, sensitivity, and expedition, truthful that the law imaginativeness of adjacent accidental and meaningful information of persons with disabilities is not reduced to a distant aspiration, but is realised arsenic a living, enforceable, and enduring world successful the behaviour of each nationalist examinations successful the country,” the ruling, whose pronouncement coincides with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, held. The tribunal mandated that each UPSC introspection notification indispensable see a wide proviso permitting eligible candidates to petition a alteration of scribe up to astatine slightest 7 days earlier the examination. Such requests, it added, indispensable beryllium decided done a reasoned bid wrong 3 moving days. The Bench further noted that though the UPSC had earlier resolved to present screen-reader bundle for visually impaired candidates, the infrastructure required for its rollout remained incomplete, leaving the inaugural “in a authorities of uncertainty.” The Commission was directed to record a broad compliance affidavit wrong 2 months, outlining its program of action, timelines, and modalities for deploying the bundle successful each forthcoming examinations. “The affidavit shall besides specify the steps projected for testing, standardisation, and validation of the bundle and related infrastructure crossed each oregon designated introspection centres, and shall further bespeak the feasibility of ensuring that the said installation is made operational and disposable to each eligible candidates from the adjacent rhythm of examinations,” the Bench said. Additionally, the tribunal directed the UPSC to enactment with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities and the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities to framework azygous protocols for the usage of screen-reader bundle and different assistive technologies. The protocols indispensable guarantee standardisation and information of the introspection process crossed centres. Urging the Commission to instrumentality the directions “in some missive and spirit”, the tribunal observed that the existent measurement of inclusivity lies not successful the framing of progressive policies but successful their effectual execution. “The rights guaranteed to persons with disabilities are not acts of benevolence, but expressions of the law committedness of equality, dignity, and non-discrimination enshrined successful Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution of India,” the tribunal stated. The Bench listed the substance for February 16 adjacent twelvemonth to person the UPSC’s compliance affidavit.
Published - December 03, 2025 09:43 p.m. IST
