The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Central government for not complying with its directions last year to make public places disabled-friendly.
Taking stern exception, a Bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and Ashok Bhushan asked the Centre to file a fresh affidavit detailing the work done so far and a deadline to complete the directions of the court in accordance with it’s judgment on December 15, 2017.
States feel the heat
The court also turned its ire on the States for not making any efforts, cautioning that further disobedience may run the risk of State Chief Secretaries having to be personally present in the courtroom to explain the apathy.
“We are not running the government. It is you who have to follow the law,” Justice Sikri observed.
Bus approval
The Delhi government, meanwhile, sought the court’s approval to switch back to standard-floor buses instead of the low-floor ones plying in the Capital.
The government said it would bear ₹5 lakh each for hydraulic lifts for each bus.
The SC on December 15, 2017, had passed 11 directions to make public transport, government offices and educational institutions disabled-friendly.
It said it was imperative to provide proper and safe access to roads, transport, buildings and public places to differently abled people so that they could enjoy a meaningful life and contribute to the progress of the nation. The court said the right to dignity, which is ensured in the constitutional set-up for every citizen, applies with much more vigour in cases of persons suffering from disability and it was the duty of the State and public authorities to lay down proper norms.