Can Special News Bulletins For Visually & Hearing Impaired Be Run On Doordarshan Daily? Supreme Court Asks Union

The Supreme Court on August 13 sought a reply from Prasar Bharti as to whether a special news bulletin for visually impaired and hearing impaired persons could be telecasted daily on the national news channel Doordarshan.

A bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Vishwanathan was hearing a writ petition filed by Sanket Foundation in 2019 requesting the need for making visual media accessible to visually impaired and hearing impaired persons.

On the plea, the court requested the Additional Solicitor General, Aishwarya Bhati, to "take instructions from the Prasar Bharti as to whether at least on "Doordarshan", a special news bulletin for the visually impaired and hearing impaired persons can be telecasted on a daily basis".

Last year, in a much applauded move, the Chief Justice of India Dr D.Y. Chandrachud announced the appointment of a sign-language interpreter for the Supreme Court for smooth judicial proceedings where hearing-impaired lawyers and parties were involved. 

This year, in July, the bench of CJI Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra issued set of guidelines for the dignified portrayal of persons with disabilities in visual media and that aligns with the anti-discrimination obligations of India in consonance with the The Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016.

Case Details: Sanket Foundation & Ors. v. UOI & Ors, WP(C) No. 1380/2019

Click Here To Read/Download Order.

Next Date Of Hearing: August 28