Supreme Court To Examine PIL For Braille Integration Across Sectors

The Supreme Court agreed to examine a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) calling for the implementation of the Braille Integration System across all public and private sectors to aid visually impaired individuals. The Bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and including Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, issued a notice seeking responses from the Centre and state governments within four weeks. The PIL, filed by advocate Nishant Kumar, specifically requests that the Braille Integration System be applied to currency notes, product labels, public spaces, and educational materials.

The petition argues that India lags behind other nations in providing adequate facilities for the visually impaired, despite advancements in Braille and supportive technologies. It highlights challenges such as identifying currency notes, reading product labels and medicine instructions, navigating public spaces, and accessing information.

The PIL asserts that the lack of Braille implementation in everyday activities and services discriminates against visually impaired individuals, denying them equal access to public services and infrastructure. This non-implementation is seen as undermining constitutional principles of equality and dignity under Articles 14, 16, 19, and 21 of the Constitution. With nearly 6.2 million blind individuals in India, predominantly in rural areas, the PIL emphasizes that societal neglect, rather than the disability itself, is the real issue.