Proper Implementation Of ‘Rights Of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016’: SC Grants Three Months’ Time For States And UTs

The Supreme Court Bench of justices Arun Mishra and S Abdul Nazeer today granted three months’ time to all States and Union Territories to implement The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, the amended statute which has conferred more rights to the differently abled persons.

The bench, which asked them to file the compliance report in three months, passed the order after Advocate Manali Singhal, representing  the petitioner NGO- Justice Sunanda Bhandare Foundation, submitted that some states and UTs have filed affidavits saying they have implemented 1995 Act but the Apex Court’s verdict was for the amended Act.She cited the states-UP, Karnataka, Haryana etc.

Justice Sunanda Bhandare Foundation, on whose petition the court has been issuing orders for the welfare of the differently-abled since 1998, had moved an application saying that unless there was an effective monitoring system on the lines of Vineet Narain judgment in which the SC is keeping a tab on investigation of various corruption cases and issuing periodic directions, the implementation of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995, will merely remain on paper.

On April 25,  last year, the top court had asked all states to 'scrupulously' follow the 2016 law on the rights of persons with disabilities, saying it reflected "a sea change" in the perception of the government on the critical issue.

The court said the states and UTs must realise that under the new Act, their responsibilities have increased and the executing authorities must give effect to it with "quite promptitude".