Bhuvana Iyer, Mumbai Uncensored, 13th January 2022 :
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the University Grants Commission to ensure that guidelines for the ease of access to students with disabilities in universities and colleges across the country are formulated in eight weeks.
A bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and A S Bopanna noted the submission of the UGC’s counsel that a committee has been constituted following a direction of the court. It would look into formulation of guidelines for accessibility of students with disabilities in universities and colleges. The Bench was hearing a Miscellaneous Application arising out of the Apex Court’s judgement dated 15.12.2017 – in Disabled Rights Group & Another v Union of India wherein the Court had accepted the suggestions by the petitioner that educational institutions must ensure proper infrastructure in including special classrooms, sports facilities, libraries, laboratories, teaching methods, recreational facilities etc.
Advocate Manoj Ranjan Sinha, appearing for the UGC, said at the outset that an updated status report has been filed and it would take another eight weeks to frame the guidelines given the current Covid situation. The bench then posted the matter for further hearing on March 14. In 2017, the top court had said that for “Guidelines for Accessibility for Students with Disabilities in Universities/Colleges”, the UGC shall consider the feasibility of constituting a committee.
It added that the committee shall also lay down the time limit within which such suggestions could be implemented. The expert committee may also consider the feasibility of constituting an in-house body in each educational institution (of teachers, staff, students and parents) for taking care of the day to day needs of differently abled persons as well as for implementation of the schemes devised by it.
Requesting UGC “to be proactive”, the Court directed UGC to ensure that guidelines are finalised before the next date of hearing. The Court further directed that a status report on the inspections made and the guidelines be made available to all stakeholders and uploaded on the website of the UGC.
