NLS Faculty Member Appointed to the Supreme Court Committee on Accessibility
January 2, 2023
We are happy to announce that NLS faculty member, Dr. Sanjay Jain, has been appointed to the Supreme Court Committee on Accessibility. The Committee was constituted by the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud to conduct accessibility audit of physical as well as functional access to the Supreme Court. It was constituted on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities which is observed annually in December.
The Composition of the Committee is as follows:
- Hon’ble Mr. Justice S. Ravindra Bhat, Judge, Supreme Court of India Chairperson
- Dr. Sanjay Jain, Professor, National Law School of India University, Bengaluru
- Ms. Shakti Mishra, Librarian (nominated from Supreme Court of India), Member
- Shri V. Sridhar Reddy, Advocate (nominated by Supreme Court Bar Association), Member
- Shri Nilesh Singit, Independent Accessibility Expert [nominated by Centre for Disability Studies (NALSAR University of Law), Member
- Shri Ajay Agrawal, Additional Registrar, Supreme Court of India, Member (Secretary)
A statement issued by the Supreme Court said that the accessibility audit was called by the Hon’ble CJI “with an aim of ensuring accessibility in the justice system and understanding the hardships faced by the specially abled persons, in their interface with the Apex Court.”
The Committee headed by Justice S Ravindra Bhat has been asked to conduct an accessibility audit extending to both physical as well as technology accessibility. The Committee has also been tasked to prepare and release a questionnaire for persons with disabilities who visit the Supreme Court premises to assess the nature and extent of the problems they face. Inputs will also be sought by the Committee from Supreme Court Advocates, litigants, interns etc. The Committee shall also prepare a report which contains (a) the results of the audit (b) The results of the survey of persons with disabilities; and (c) Recommendations/proposals geared towards removing barriers to access.
This initiative was taken up in line with the World Health Organisation’s theme of the year: “ Transformative solutions for inclusive development : the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world”.