Madras High Court Pushes Election Commission on Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities
In a key move for inclusive voting, the Madras High Court has asked the Election Commission of India (ECI) to explain why polling stations and official websites still aren’t fully accessible to persons with disabilities. This comes from a public interest litigation (PIL) that claims these barriers violate the basic right to vote for disabled citizens.
The case landed before a First Division Bench led by Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan. They told ECI’s standing counsel, Niranjan Rajagopalan, to submit a detailed reply within four weeks. The judges made it clear: this isn’t a fight against the ECI, but a push to make elections truly equal for everyone.
The PIL comes from cross-disability rights activist Vaishnavi Jayakumar. She argues that even after years of reminders and clear laws, accessibility at polling stations remains poor. Her lawyer, S. Tanvi, shared photos of booths with stairs but no ramps, making it tough for wheelchair users or those with mobility issues to vote.
Looking at the images, the bench questioned how persons with disabilities could possibly cast their votes in such setups. Chief Justice Shrivastava pointed out, "You (ECI) might have made some efforts for inclusivity, but these physical barriers need to go completely."
Jayakumar’s affidavit highlights Section 11 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016. This law requires all polling stations to be fully accessible and election materials to be easy for disabled people to use. But over seven years later, she says, full compliance is nowhere in sight.
Many polling booths still miss basics like ramps, and ECI websites aren’t user-friendly for the disabled. The petition calls out sites like www.eci.gov.in, https://electoralsearch.eci.gov.in, https://voters.eci.gov.in, and officials.eci.gov.in for using only image-based CAPTCHAs. This blocks visually impaired users who can’t see the images. Instead, the PIL demands multi-modal CAPTCHAs with audio, text, logic puzzles, or OTP options to make things accessible.
Jayakumar wants simple fixes: barrier-free elections with ramps at every polling station and candidate info in easy formats online. The bench has ordered the ECI to respond to all these points and outline real action plans. The next hearing will follow once the reply comes in.
This push highlights the ongoing fight for disability rights in India, ensuring no one misses out on democracy due to avoidable hurdles.
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