Supreme Court: While considering this petition filed by Mission Accessibility seeking inter alia, the modification of the timeline for scribe registration in the Civil Services Examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission and for permitting the use of laptops equipped with Screen Reader Software along with accessible digital question papers for eligible candidates; the Division Bench of Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta*, JJ., issued necessary directions to ensure that decisions taken by the UPSC are effectively translated into action and the rights of candidates belonging to the Persons with Benchmark Disability/Persons with Disability (PwBD/PwD) category are fully safeguarded:
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UPSC shall ensure that in every notification for the examinations conducted by it, a clear provision is incorporated permitting candidates eligible for a scribe to request a change of scribe up to at least seven days prior to the date of the examination, and such requests shall be objectively considered and disposed of by a reasoned order within three working days of receipt of the application.
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UPSC shall file a comprehensive compliance affidavit within a period of two months from the date of this order, clearly delineating the proposed plan of action, timeline, and modalities for the deployment and use of Screen Reader Software for visually impaired candidates in the examinations to be conducted by it. The affidavit shall also specify the steps proposed for testing, standardisation, and validation of the software and related infrastructure across all or designated examination centres, and shall further indicate the feasibility of ensuring that the said facility is made operational and available to all eligible candidates from the next cycle of examinations.
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UPSC shall, in coordination with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) and the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD), formulate uniform guidelines and protocols for the use of Screen Reader Software and other assistive technologies to ensure standardisation, accessibility, and security of the examination process across all or identified examination centres, as deemed fit by it.
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Union of India, through the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, shall extend all necessary administrative and technical support to UPSC for the expeditious implementation of the above measures and shall facilitate coordination with State Governments and examination authorities wherever required.
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It is further directed that the implementation of these measures shall be undertaken in a manner that ensures full accessibility to eligible candidates while maintaining the sanctity, confidentiality, and fairness of the examination process.
The Court stated that the afore-stated directions were issued to ensure that the constitutional mandate of equality, non-discrimination, and the right to live with dignity enshrined under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution, read with the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, is meaningfully implemented, and that the facilitative measures envisaged by UPSC are operationalised in both letter and spirit within the stipulated timeframe.
Background and Submissions:
The petition was filed by Mission Accessibility seeking enforcement of the rights of persons with disabilities to equal opportunity guaranteed to them under the Constitution and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
In pursuant to Supreme Court’s previous order in May 2025, UPSC filed an affidavit stating that it has till now received requests from approximately 27 candidates being Persons with Benchmark Disability/Persons with Disability (PwBD/PwD) for change of their scribe details UPSC had assured that it will examine each and every such request on merit and revert to the candidates. However, the affidavit was completely silent in respect of the issue of providing the screen reader facility to such candidates.
The UPSC further submitted that it is presently in active consultation and coordination with the State Authorities, the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD), and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, with a view to finalising the technical standards, operational modalities, and procedural safeguards necessary for the introduction of Screen Reader Software and for ensuring that question papers are made available in accessible digital formats for eligible candidates.
Court’s Assessment:
Perusing the submissions filed by UPSC and reliefs sought by the petitioner that the UPSC has taken a conscious progressive decision to extend the facility of Screen Reader Software to visually impaired candidates in various examinations to be conducted by it, thereby recognising and advancing the rights of candidates with disabilities to equal opportunity and accessibility in public examinations.
The Court however noted that while the policy decision has been taken, the mechanism and modalities for its effective implementation remain to be streamlined and operationalised. UPSC’s dependence upon external infrastructure and manpower, coupled with the absence of a clearly delineated roadmap or timeline for establishing the requisite technological framework across examination centres, underscores the need for institutional coordination and phased execution.
Therefore, to iron out the “creases in the process for implementation” through concrete planning, inter-agency collaboration, and the establishment of uniform standards, to ensure that the laudable objective of accessibility does not remain confined to paper but is translated into practical reality in forthcoming examination cycles, the Court gave the afore-stated directions.
In its concluding remarks, the Court emphasised that the true measure of inclusivity in governance lies not merely in the formulation of progressive policies but in their faithful and effective implementation.
“The rights guaranteed to persons with disabilities are not acts of benevolence, but expressions of the constitutional promise of equality, dignity, and non-discrimination enshrined in Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution”.
The Court further remarked that UPSC being the premier constitutional body entrusted with upholding the values of merit and fairness in public recruitment, must ensure that its processes are accessible, transparent, and sensitive to the needs of every segment of society. “It is therefore imperative that the directions issued herein are carried out with utmost earnestness, sensitivity, and expedition, so that the constitutional vision of equal opportunity and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities is not reduced to a distant aspiration, but is realised as a living, enforceable, and enduring reality in the conduct of all public examinations in the country”.
[Mission Accessibility v. Union of India, WRIT PETITION (C) NO(S). 206 OF 2025, decided on 3-12-2025]
*Judgment by Justice Sandeep Mehta
Advocates who appeared in this case:
For Petitioner(s): Mr. Amar Jain, Adv. Ms. Sanchita Ain, AOR Ms. Shehreen Gauri, Adv. For Respondent(s): Mrs. Archana Pathak Dave, A.S.G. Mr. Udit Dedhiya, Adv. Mr. Sudhakar Kulwant, Adv. Mr. Yashraj Bundela, Adv. Mr. Amit Sharma B, Adv. Mr. Jagdish Chandra, Adv. Dr. N. Visakamurthy, AOR Mr. Hrishikesh Baruah, AOR Mr. Kumar Kshitij, Adv. Mr. Utkarsh Dwivedi, Adv. Mr. Yashaswy Ghosh, Adv. Ms. Pragya Agarwal, Adv
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