oppn parties Denying Rights To The Differently-Abled

News Snippets

  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
  • Kolkata witnesses traffic snarls on the first day of the Durga Puja festival as revellers start pnadal-hopping
  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
  • Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
  • Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
oppn parties
Denying Rights To The Differently-Abled

By Our Editorial Team
First publised on 2022-05-11 08:47:02

About the Author

Sunil Garodia The India Commentary view

Who is a 'normal' person to fly and why are persons with special needs not 'travel-worthy'? Are there any rules or guidelines in India which specify this? Is an airline ground staff competent enough to decide who is normal enough to fly and who is not travel-worthy?

The way an Indigo staffer denied a child the right to fly at Ranchi airport just because he had special needs (which means, according to the airline staffer, he was not 'normal') shows the lack of sensitivity towards the specially-abled in India. Indigo said that what the staffer did under the circumstances was correct as the child in the wheelchair was in a "state of panic" and allowing him to board would not have been appropriate. 

But the regulatory authorities have not been satisfied with its explanation. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a probe. Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has said that there is zero-tolerance against such behavior by airlines and he will take a personal interest in the investigation.  The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has also said that it will take appropriate action against the airline after the probe.

While the official response is heartening, what is not, despite legislation on the subject, is the lack of urgency into making public spaces accessible to those with special needs. India started the Accessible India Campaign (AIC) in 2015 to make transport and public spaces accessible to its more than 53 lakh (as per 2011 Census) persons with movement disability. Soon afterwards, Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPDA) was enacted in 2016. But the deadline under AIC has been regularly extended and the RPDA is not being implemented with the sincerity it deserves.

Being differently-abled does not mean a person will be a prisoner at home. People with movement disability have the right to enjoy the same rights as enjoyed by other citizens with sensitivity by all towards their special needs. The government must introduce a system of penalizing those who deny differently-abled persons the rights they are entitled to. In a press release, Indigo has harped on the fact that it flies more than 75000 specially-abled every month. But it must know that that is not a big deal as it their right and Indigo's duty. But denying one such person the right to board is a big blot on the airline.