Please at Madras Excessive Court docket seeks making election fee of India web site, polling stations universally accessible to the disabled


Representational picture. File | Picture Credit score: M. MORTHY

The Madras Excessive Court docket, on Tuesday (September 16, 2025), Sought the Response of Election Fee of India (eci) to a public curiosity in literature (pil) petition which is accomplished completioned Complained that that’s the Eci ‘ Many polling stations weren’t universally accessible there

First Division Bench of Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan Directed Eci Standing CONSEL Niranjan Rajagopalan to take discover and file a reply with a reply with The judges requested the eci to not contemplate it as an adversarial litigation because it has been crammed for a real trigger.

‘Litigant Vaishnavi is one of the best particular person to espouse the trigger’

Mentioning that Litigant Vaishnavi Jayakumar, A Cross Incapacity Rights Activist, was one of the best particular person to espouse the reason for the disabled, the judges Took a take a look at everybody photographs Counsel S. Tanvi and Requested How the Disabled Chilly Be Expeded to Climb Steps to Forged their Votes.

“We’ll take this matter serially. You (eci) have already taken many steps for making polling stations universally accessible however you have to additionally get pleasure from that these Sort of PHYSISISIBILITY JINDERSIBILITY JECE Eliminated Fully wherever they exist, “The Chief Justice Advised Mr. Rajagopalan.

The plea

In her affidavit, ms. Jayakumar said that part 11 of the rights of individuals with disabilitys act, 2016 requires all polling stations to be accessible to individuals with disabilities and all supplies associated to the electoral drawback to bee. Simply undertandable and accessible to them.

Regardless of Such a statutory mandate in place for over service because the enforcement of the Laws and Repeated Requests Made to the Eci, Neiter all of the pololing cubicles cubicles Had beed The data on the eci web site has been made accessible, free from all boundaries, to the disabled, She stated.

“The current written is full of aggrieved inter alia by the truth that polling stations and web sites of eci, to even a Confirm a Voter’s Standing and The Candidates Lists, Are Not College, Theharests Individuals with incapacity and different cell impaired individuals their worthwhile proper to vote, “Her Affidavit Learn.

Eci web site will need to have multi-modal captchas: petitioner

The petitioner stated web sites reminiscent of www.eci.gov.in, https://electoralsearch.eci.gov.in, https://voters.eci.gov.in and Officers.eci.gov.in Have solely a Single Picture Primarily based Captcha (Fully Automated Pulic Turing Take a look at to Inform Computer systems and People Aside) As an alternative of Multi-Modal Captchas that Should additionally Embrace audio, textual content, textual content, textual content, textual content and OTP OTP OTP OPTIONS.

“The Respondent (ECI) is the authority to conduct elections within the nation and by Taking easy measures like making candidate info out there in an accessible kind on-line, guaranteeing accessible Polling Boots and many others., The Entre course of might be made Barrier-Free and Legally Compliant, “The Petitioner Stated.