August 8, 2019
A recent pan-India study has found that courts in Karnataka fare
poorly when it comes to access to people with disabilities. Disability rights
groups agree and are asking the government to finally do something about
it.
When Narasimhaiah, a senior citizen in Bengaluru, had to
visit a city court for a civil case, he underwent nothing less than an
ordeal. A visually impaired man, Narasimhaiah says he struggled every single
time as there were no Braille facilities in the court. Given the various
chambers, he had to depend on someone else to move around.
Narasimhaiah’s is not an isolated experience. This is commonly voiced by
people with disabilities who come to the courts across Karnataka. Now a study
by the Vidhi Centre for Legal policy, Tata
Trusts and Jaldi has highlighted the poor
arrangements in terms of accessibility, be it barrier-free facilities,
display of information, security, and others. The score given to Karnataka is
54 out of 100. That this is the state of affairs over two years
after the RPWD Act, 2016 came into effect is a shame.
Madhu Singhal, who is visually impaired and heads an NGO
called Mitra Jyoti says its high time officials look at a
wider perspective and did not stop at wheelchair ramps alone.
Accessibility starts from initiating case proceedings in a
disabled-friendly manner to having accessible websites, books and other
infrastructure. Ensuring that there are wheelchair ramps or Braille signage
does not complete accessibility tests. Half of the visually impaired people
do not know how to read Braille. So it is high time that government
enhances technological features like introduction of audio facilities and
so on. I can say that no courts in Karnataka are fully accessible or
disabled-friendly. – Madhu Singhal, Founder, Mitra Jyoti.
The study was conducted on over 290 people with disabilities
from across 29 districts in the state. Court premises in
districts like Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and Yadgir have a long way to do.
Websites are not up the mark which people with disabilities struggle to
access information. 28 court complexes had access to public transport while
others had exclusive parking spots for people with disabilities. But 93% of
those who visit the court find it hard to move around and need help.
Another struggle faced by most disabled people are the long waiting
hours at courts. There is no system to provide speedy justice. And
given the lack of accessible washrooms and waiting areas, this becomes a
problem.
“Many people with disabilities find it hard to wait for their cases at
courts”, says Bonny Karyappa, a lawyer from Karnataka. “They
get upset and demand a speedy trial but the court has many pending cases.
Officials don’t know how to handle them and I believe it is due to sheer lack
of awareness about disability laws”.
For people like Narasimhaiah, the struggle is compounded by official apathy.
“Officials have no time to hear our problems because they are busy with their
work. It is very difficult to move around”.
The report, it is hoped will make the government step up and finally look at
making official buildings accessible, a key provision of the RPWD Act.
ALSO READ: Kerala government introduces exclusive courts to handle cases for
disabled people
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/inaccessibility-of-courts-in-karnataka-disability-rights-groups-agree
