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Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
SC grants pre-arrest bail to ex-IAS trainee officer in UPSC fraud case
The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) trainee officer Puja Khedkar, accused of forging documents to obtain eligibility for the 2022 civil services examination exam. 'Having regard to the nature of offences registered against her and bearing in mind the facts and circumstances of the case, this is a fit case where the high court ought to have granted the relief of anticipatory bail to the appellant,' a bench led by justice BV Nagarathna said. While disposing off Khedkar's plea, the court also permitted Delhi police to seek cancellation of bail in the event she is found to tamper with evidence, influence witnesses or not cooperating with the probe. 'In the event of her arrest, the appellant shall be released on shall extend full cooperation in the investigation and shall not misuse her liberty. She shall not, in anyway, influence the witnesses or tamper with the materials on record,' the bench, also comprising justice SC Sharma, said. The court further required her to furnish cash sureties of ₹25,000 with two live sureties. In December 2024, the Delhi high court refused to grant her anticipatory bail, forming a prima facie view that a larger conspiracy needs to be probed behind her attempt to dupe the UPSC. Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Khedkar along with advocate Bina Madhavan, pointed out that pursuant to the order passed last month, she has been cooperating with the probe and had appeared before the officer concerned on May 2. Khedkar was granted protection from arrest in February this year and this order was extended from time to time. Luthra urged the court to consider making the relief permanent subject to the conditions that the court may impose. The police opposed the grant of pre-arrest bail ,pointing out that the investigation is still on and the charges against her are serious. However, the court balanced the apprehension of the state in its order, saying, 'Should there be any violation of the aforesaid conditions, liberty is granted to the respondents to seek cancellation of anticipatory bail.' As per the case against Khedkar, from 2012 to 2017, she appeared in the CSE using an OBC certificate issued to her by sub-divisional officer, Pathravi in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra. In 2018, when the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD) Act came into force, she became eligible to appear as PwBD candidate and appeared as such in the CSE since 2018. According to the investigation conducted against her, while attempting CSE 2020, she had already exhausted all the nine permissible attempts available to PwBD + OBC candidates and was not eligible to appear in CSE 2021. However, she changed her name in 2021, and appeared in CSE 2021, 2022, and 2023 by making 'incorrect or false statements' regarding the number of attempts already availed by her. The UPSC issued her show cause notices in July last year for alleged suppression of information. This was followed by show cause notice issued by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension before UPSC cancelled her provisional candidature on July 31, 2024. Khedkar, in her petition, said that the high court failed to appreciate that the charges against her pertain to cheating and fraud based on documentary evidence which is already in possession of the police, making it a fit case for grant of anticipatory bail. She claimed to be suffering from multiple disability of low vision, hearing impairment, and mental illness to be eligible under the disability category as well.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
SC's e-accessibility order to push firms on digital inclusivity
ETtech Live Events The Supreme Court verdict last week, which directed the central government and regulatory bodies to ensure that digital infrastructure and services are accessible to all citizens, will help make digital services inclusive, especially for people with disabilities and other marginalised groups, said lawyers and top court in its April 30 order held that meaningful access to digital tools and services is a part of the fundamental right to the protection of life and personal liberty, and issued directions to the regulators to improve customer verification (KYC) processes so that they don't exclude any sections of the society. The judgement comes as a response to concerns raised in a petition that the rapid digitalisation of services often overlooked the needs of people with disabilities, those living in rural areas and senior citizens who may face barriers in accessing digital order confirmed that digital tools used for compliance must correspond with the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD) and Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty), said Astha Sharma, partner at law firm Aquilaw. "The court has recognised the exclusionary impact of the existing KYC standards and in doing so, has set an unqualified policy for accessibility within regulatory frameworks. This ruling will have a cascading effect on policy reforms across the substrata of finance, telecommunications and governance," he said."The SC has recognised that the protection under the RPwD Act is also available to persons who suffer from facial and ocular disfigurement and visual impairment," said Indranil Deshmukh, partner (head - disputes) at law firm Cyril Amarchand judgement holds the government and regulators in sectors such as banking, markets and insurance accountable, and directs them to ensure that digital infrastructure and digital services platforms are designed and maintained to make them universally accessible. The Reserve Bank of India has been tasked with monitoring all the regulated entities to ensure that they adhered to the court's guidelines."This decision affirms the principle that technological systems must serve all citizens, including the most marginalised," said Ankit Sahni, partner at Ajay Sahni & Associates. The court has held that digital access, and by extension digital inclusion , is a constitutional guarantee, not a discretionary service, he fintech, telecom and digital service providers , this ruling is a call to action, he and other access protocols must now evolve to accommodate the needs of persons with disabilities and those facing physical or social barriers, Sahni legal experts also pointed out areas for potential Kapoor, partner at King Stubb & Kasiva Advocates and Attorneys, said it could have specified stricter timelines for compliance and mandated periodic reporting to monitor implementation top court issued 20 directions to improve the KYC process , including taking measures such as providing reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities in digital KYC processes, developing alternative accessible methods for digital KYC including physical verification where necessary, mandating regulated entities to offer step-by-step assistance through voice or video support, and conducting public awareness campaigns about alternative KYC Choudhary, founder of legal services organisation that focuses on protecting digital freedoms, stressed the systemic nature of the issue. "It's high time that we stopped designing systems only for a certain section of the society, leaving behind the most vulnerable,' Choudhary said. 'This judgement is crucial but citizens shouldn't have to move the apex court for every single thing. The state should be designing systems keeping in mind the diversity and reality of the society."
Economic Times
05-05-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
SC's e-accessibility order to push firms on digital inclusivity
The order confirmed that digital tools used for compliance must correspond with the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD) and Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty), said Astha Sharma, partner at law firm Aquilaw. "The court has recognised the exclusionary impact of the existing KYC standards and in doing so, has set an unqualified policy for accessibility within regulatory frameworks. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Popular in TechMore ≫ The Supreme Court verdict last week, which directed the central government and regulatory bodies to ensure that digital infrastructure and services are accessible to all citizens, will help make digital services inclusive, especially for people with disabilities and other marginalised groups, said lawyers and top court in its April 30 order held that meaningful access to digital tools and services is a part of the fundamental right to the protection of life and personal liberty, and issued directions to the regulators to improve customer verification (KYC) processes so that they don't exclude any sections of the society. The judgement comes as a response to concerns raised in a petition that the rapid digitalisation of services often overlooked the needs of people with disabilities, those living in rural areas and senior citizens who may face barriers in accessing digital order confirmed that digital tools used for compliance must correspond with the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPwD) and Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty), said Astha Sharma, partner at law firm Aquilaw. "The court has recognised the exclusionary impact of the existing KYC standards and in doing so, has set an unqualified policy for accessibility within regulatory frameworks. This ruling will have a cascading effect on policy reforms across the substrata of finance, telecommunications and governance," he said."The SC has recognised that the protection under the RPwD Act is also available to persons who suffer from facial and ocular disfigurement and visual impairment," said Indranil Deshmukh, partner (head - disputes) at law firm Cyril Amarchand judgement holds the government and regulators in sectors such as banking, markets and insurance accountable, and directs them to ensure that digital infrastructure and digital services platforms are designed and maintained to make them universally accessible. The Reserve Bank of India has been tasked with monitoring all the regulated entities to ensure that they adhered to the court's guidelines."This decision affirms the principle that technological systems must serve all citizens, including the most marginalised," said Ankit Sahni, partner at Ajay Sahni & Associates. The court has held that digital access, and by extension digital inclusion , is a constitutional guarantee, not a discretionary service, he fintech, telecom and digital service providers , this ruling is a call to action, he and other access protocols must now evolve to accommodate the needs of persons with disabilities and those facing physical or social barriers, Sahni legal experts also pointed out areas for potential Kapoor, partner at King Stubb & Kasiva Advocates and Attorneys, said it could have specified stricter timelines for compliance and mandated periodic reporting to monitor implementation top court issued 20 directions to improve the KYC process , including taking measures such as providing reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities in digital KYC processes, developing alternative accessible methods for digital KYC including physical verification where necessary, mandating regulated entities to offer step-by-step assistance through voice or video support, and conducting public awareness campaigns about alternative KYC Choudhary, founder of legal services organisation that focuses on protecting digital freedoms, stressed the systemic nature of the issue. "It's high time that we stopped designing systems only for a certain section of the society, leaving behind the most vulnerable,' Choudhary said. 'This judgement is crucial but citizens shouldn't have to move the apex court for every single thing. The state should be designing systems keeping in mind the diversity and reality of the society."
NDTV
24-04-2025
- Business
- NDTV
High Court Notice To Swiggy, Zepto Over Access To Visually Impaired Users
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to food delivery companies Swiggy and Zepto, as well as the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, over allegations that their mobile apps are inaccessible to visually impaired users. The court's move comes after a petition was filed by NGO Mission Accessibility, which claimed that the apps' inaccessibility violates the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, and the Constitution of India. Justice Sachin Datta directed Swiggy, Zepto, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to respond to the petition within four weeks. The next hearing is scheduled for May 28. The notice has been issued on a petition filed by NGO Mission Accessibility through advocate Sarah and Taha Bin Tasneem. Advocate Rahul Bajaj appeared for the petitioner. The petition highlights several issues with the apps, including a lack of accessible features, unlabeled interactive elements, the absence of essential product details, and the inability of visually impaired users to position their device cameras for necessary transactions. The apps are not compatible with screen-reader software, making it difficult for visually impaired users to navigate and use the services independently. The inaccessibility of the apps allegedly denies visually impaired users their fundamental rights to equality, dignity, and freedom of expression. Petitioner has submitted that these mobile apps failed to comply with the requirements under Sections 40 and 46 of the Rights of People with Disabilities (RPwD) Act and Rule 15 of the RPwD Rules, 2017. It is further stated that the inaccessibility of these applications violates fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution of India, the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, and the Rules. The inaction of the Respondent Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in enforcing these standards further exacerbates the issue, the plea added. The petitioner seeks directions to: A detailed accessibility audit to identify existing barriers faced by persons with disabilities' Ensure full compliance with digital accessibility standards and make platforms screen-reader friendly; Offer alternative mechanisms for inaccessible elements and integrate essential features like voice-guided camera positioning and hold non-compliant entities accountable under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act under Sections 89 & 90 of the RPwD Act, 2016.
Mint
23-04-2025
- Business
- Mint
Are Swiggy and Zepto failing blind users? Delhi high court to hear accessibility case
Can blind or visually impaired users independently order groceries or meals using India's biggest delivery apps? That's the question now before the Delhi high court, after a public interest petition accused Swiggy and Zepto of failing to make their digital platforms accessible to persons with disabilities (PwDs). Filed by the New Delhi-based NGO Mission Accessibility, the case could have wide-reaching implications for digital inclusion in India's booming app economy. In an order issued Wednesday, the court sought responses from Swiggy, Zepto, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The next hearing is scheduled for 28 May. The petition, reviewed by Mint, alleges that the companies' apps are unusable by people with blindness or impaired vision, in violation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016. It also cites broader constitutional violations, including the denial of equality, dignity, and freedom of expression. 'The petition seeks directions from this Hon'ble Court mandating the Respondents to ensure full compliance with digital accessibility standards,' it states. Requested features include screen reader compatibility, alternatives for inaccessible elements, and voice-guided camera assistance for tasks such as processing returns. The NGO says it first flagged these issues with the companies' customer support teams but received no meaningful response—evidence, it argues, of disregard for accessibility requirements and a breach of both legal and ethical duties. Email queries to Swiggy and Zepto went unanswered. Among the key complaints: Swiggy's search box is unresponsive to screen readers, making it impossible for visually impaired users to search for products. Payment options are reportedly inaccessible, preventing transaction completion. Other features—including Instamart's voice search, Swiggy's DineOut and table reservation services, and newer offerings like Snacc and Pyng—are also said to be difficult or impossible to navigate without sight. The petition also highlights a significant hurdle during image capture for returns or refunds. Without voice prompts or haptic feedback, blind users are unable to position their cameras correctly—effectively barring them from completing basic transactions. These shortcomings, the petition notes, fall short of India's first national digital accessibility standard—BIS IS 17802—introduced in 2023. The standard mandates features like labeled icons and screen reader compatibility across all digital platforms. According to the petition, Swiggy and Zepto have yet to comply. Mission Accessibility is asking the court to direct the platforms to undergo a formal accessibility audit, publish a public roadmap to fix the gaps, train their staff in digital accessibility, and disclose conformance reports. The case follows broader enforcement efforts: In February, the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities (CCPD) fined 155 entities—including the Ministry of External Affairs, Tata Digital, Reliance, National Depository Ltd, Pluxee India, and Yatra Online Ltd—for failing to meet digital accessibility standards. First Published: 23 Apr 2025, 05:44 PM IST
