Wheelchair-Bound Woman Approaches Supreme Court Alleging She Was Asked To Stand Up During Kolkata Airport Security Check

A specially-abled woman has approached the Supreme Court complaining of the humiliation she had to face at the Kolkata airport where she was allegedly asked to stand up by the security personnel.

Arushi Singh, the petitioner, who graduated from the National Law Institute University, Bhopal and earned a LL.M. from the National University of Singapore, filed the writ petition referring to her experience at the airport on January 31, 2024,

As per the petition, she had to wait for approximately 20 minutes outside the airport as there was no assistance available for her transfer. Subsequently, during the security screening, she was asked to stand in her wheelchair thrice without any valid reasoning, despite her repeated explanations about her disability. It was alleged that the insensitivity displayed by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel during the screening process left the petitioner feeling disrespected and stripped of her dignity.

Appearing before a bench led by the Chief Justice of India, the counsel representing the petitioner detailed the distressing incidents at the airport, emphasizing the 'blatant ableism' displayed by airport personnel. 

It was submitted, " When she was travelling she reached the airport before time, and asked for assistance no one came to her assistance. She checked in a wheelchair...while in her screening she was asked multiple times to stand, to walk, and asked why she could not walk, or stand ...she was asked to stand up for 2 minutes. First, she was asked to walk into the Kiosk where the screening happens. She explained- I cannot stand I have 75% disability in my legs. They asked her again could stand for 2 minutes she said no. After they wheeled her in and asked her again to stand and they would pat her down....after that, she was asked to exit the kiosk, she wheeled herself down through the manual wheelchair that didn't belong to her from that kiosk" 

The counsel added that the reason for the same was that most of the Airline representatives who were assisting the female or male passengers could not enter the security kiosk.

Responding to the petitioner's plea, the bench instructed the counsel to serve a copy of the petition on the central agencies involved in civil aviation. The bench said that it will direct the Union to formulate a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) specifically addressing issues related to the handling of wheelchair-dependent passengers.  

"Serve the central agency ...we will ask them to lay down SOP for handling issues of wheelchair-bound passengers"  

In her petition, she has sought for the following reliefs : 

"i) Issue a Writ of Mandamus directing the Respondents to effectively enforce the regulations and operating procedures laid down in line with RPD Act, Accessibility Standards and Guidelines for Civil Aviation 2022; Series M of Civil Aviation Requirements, 2014, and Screening Guidelines followed by CISF security for Passengers with Disability.

(ii) Issue directions to Respondent No. 1 to make reasonable classification between people with disabilities who require wheelchairs, and other passengers requiring special assistance at the airport, and to make provisions to reflect such classification on the boarding passes of the passengers to prevent discrimination against passengers with disabilities while maintaining their dignity.

(iii) Issue a Writ of Mandamus to Respondent No. 3 directing them to establish essential sensitisation campaigns as a part of the vocational training provided to the security personnel deployed at airports, especially those screening persons with disabilities."

Case Details: ARUSHI SINGH vs. UNION OF INDIA  W.P.(C) No. 000121 - / 2024

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