Delhi High Court Constitutes High Powered Committee To Offer Practical Solutions For Ensuring Access To Financial Services For Visually Challenged

The Delhi High Court has constituted a seven member High Powered Committee to offer practical solutions for ensuring access to financial services for the visually challenged persons and other ancillary issues.

A division bench comprising of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad appointed Prof. M. Balakrishnan, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Delhi as the Chairman of the Committee and also requested the Director of IIT Delhi to provide all logistic support to the Committee.

"This Court is pained to observe at this juncture that it is unfortunate that judicial intervention is required in such matters when measures to ensure ease of accessibility for the specially-abled should be implemented in a proactive manner. However, this Court hopes that the Committee will take these observations into consideration while arriving at a feasible solution," the Bench said.

The members of the High Powered Committee are as follows:

- Prof. M. Balakrishnan, Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Delhi.

- Prof. Kolin Paul, Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Delhi.

- Ms. Manisha Mishra, (GM), Department of Regulation.

- Mr. Tushar Bhattacharya, (DGM) Department of Supervision.

- Mr. George Abraham, the Petitioner in W.P.(C) 694/2020.

- Mr. Amar Jain, Member of Blind Graduates Forum of India i.e. the Petitioner in W.P.(C) 64/2019.

- Officer to be nominated by the Union of India

One of the petitions filed by George Abraham seeks directions on RBI and Centre to ensure that card reading devices for making card payments are accessible for visually challenged persons.

The plea also sought directions that all bank websites and mobile phone applications for financial services are tested for accessibility at every stage of transaction. A direction was also sought to ensure all ATM machines are voice-enabled and accessible for visually challenged persons.

Another PIL filed by Rohit Dandriyal sought directions to formulate a policy to issue Rs. 50 coins for providing equality of opportunity and ease of doing business to the visually- challenged.

The Court was of the view that the scope of the work of the High Powered Committee will not be confined only to the issues raised in the writ petitions but other connected issues as well.

Accordingly, the Court granted three months to the committee for filing status report in the matter.

The matter will now be heard on November 25.

Case Title: GEORGE ABRAHAM v. UNION OF INDIA & ORS

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