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Court was hearing a 2017 plea initiated by it in the wake of a news report in July that year, which stated that a visually impaired student had missed his MPhil entrance exam as he was prevented from boarding a coach reserved for persons with disabilities
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Railways to offer free human assistance to visually impaired individuals at major stations.
The directive stems from a petition initiated by the high court itself, aiming to enhance the accessibility of rail travel for persons with disabilities.
Senior Advocate SK Rungta, serving as amicus curiae to assist the court, highlighted that while the Railways has equipped stations with wheelchairs, it has declined to provide free escort services to the visually impaired.
The court, therefore, urged the Railways to explore the possibility of implementing this service either independently or through a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
Addressing the concern of unemployment, the bench suggested, "There is so much unemployment. Sahayaks will push the wheelchair. (If there is a shortage of funds), you can start some CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiatives."
The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora emphasized the need for practical solutions.
The central government counsel raised concerns about the feasibility of offering free human assistance at all 10,000 railway stations across the country, citing practical difficulties.
In response, the court proposed a phased approach, suggesting the initiation of the service at major metro stations such as Delhi and Kolkata.
The court has scheduled the case for further hearing on March 20 and has directed the Railways to submit an additional affidavit outlining their plans and actions in this regard.
The suo motu case was instigated by the court in 2017 after encountering a report detailing an incident where the door of a special compartment for the disabled was closed, leading to a youth missing his MPhil test at Delhi University that year.
Case Title: Court on its own motion v. Union of India & Ors.
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