Delhi High Court seeks Centre's response on plea to make TV content accessible for persons with disabilities

A petition has been filed before the Delhi High Court seeking the implementation of measures to make television (TV) content accessible to persons with visual and hearing disabilities [Rahul Bajaj v. Union of India & Ors.]

Justice Sachin Datta on Tuesday sought a response in the matter from the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

The petition, filed by lawyer and disability-rights advocate Rahul Bajaj, argues that despite clear statutory obligations under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016, most Indian television programming remains inaccessible to the visually impaired and hard-of-hearing viewers.

During yesterday's hearing, Bajaj highlighted that access to television is linked to the rights to information, equality and participation in cultural life.

He submitted that the government’s own accessibility guidelines require at least 50 per cent of all television content to be accessible by 2025, and foreign-language channels to reach 80 per cent.

He said that the Centre should disclose existing compliance data, particularly since the accessibility targets were published by the government itself.

Bajaj argued that the 2019 “Accessibility Standards for Persons with Disabilities in Television Programmes” remain ineffective because the broadcasters were never notified under Rule 15. This rule requires the government to formally publish accessibility norms before they become mandatory.

The failure to publish and notify these norms has resulted in no binding obligation that could be implemented by broadcasters, Bajaj pointed out.

He further submitted that the 2019 standards address only the needs of hearing-impaired viewers and do not include audio description for visually impaired persons.

This is despite Section 42 of the RPwD Act requiring the government to ensure access to electronic media for all categories of persons with disabilities.

The Court has directed that the government's reply should also address this issue of audio-description standards.

It has listed the matter for further hearing on January 29, 2026.

The petition filed by Bajaj says that the absence of features such as audio description, closed captioning and Indian Sign Language interpretation prevents viewers with disabilities from independently accessing news, serials and other mainstream television content.

“Television also has significant informational and educational value. It is not merely a source of recreation but a vital medium through which citizens stay informed and intellectually engaged," the plea adds.

It also notes that there is evidence to show that features such as subtitles and audio descriptions (AD) could help people with weak literacy levels to improve their learning.

"These accessibility features have become standard practice on English content, spoken by a significant minority of Indians, but not yet in Indian languages, spoken by an equally significant majority of Indians. Therefore, the benefit is not limited to persons with disabilities,” the petition further states.

The petition calls for the implementation of the 2019 guidelines, which include the framing of accessibility norms for visually impaired viewers, an enforcement mechanism to tackle non-compliance and the inclusion of accessibility features in television equipment such as remotes and set-top boxes.