The order passed on December 2 expands the safeguards earlier laid down by the Court in L Muruganantham v. State of Tamil Nadu and mandates detailed compliance from prison authorities nationwide.
The apex court ordered that prisons must provide wheelchair-friendly spaces, accessible toilets, ramps and sensory-safe environments, and that all States and Union Territories must implement these measures without delay.
The Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta issued the directions while hearing a petition filed by activist Sathyan Naravoor. The petition sought better legal and infrastructural framework for persons with disabilities (PwDs) lodged in Indian prisons, either as under-trials or convicts.
The Court noted the petitioner’s grievance that,
“The prison system all over the country is not extending to the PwD inmates the requisite facilities mandated for addressing their specific needs. Instead, these prisoners are being housed under the same conditions as non-PwD inmates, thereby subjecting them to identical treatment in total disregard to their specialized requirements.“
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