The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre to respond to a petition demanding accessible TV content for visually impaired and hearing-impaired viewers. The plea says lack of audio description, captions and sign language violates disability rights under the RPwD Act.
New Delhi: A petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court asking the Central government to make TV content accessible for people with visual and hearing disabilities.
The case came up before Justice Sachin Datta, who has now asked the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to give their response.
The petition has been filed by lawyer and disability-rights activist Rahul Bajaj. He argues that even though the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 clearly requires accessible electronic media, most Indian TV programmes are still not accessible for visually impaired and hard-of-hearing viewers.
During the hearing, Bajaj explained that access to television is directly connected to the rights to information, equality, and participation in cultural life.
He pointed out that the government’s own accessibility guidelines say that at least 50% of all TV content must be made accessible by 2025, and foreign-language channels must reach 80%.
He said the Centre should share the present compliance numbers, especially because the accessibility targets were issued by the government itself.
Bajaj also told the Court that the 2019
“Accessibility Standards for Persons with Disabilities in Television Programmes”
have not worked in practice because broadcasters were never formally notified under Rule 15. Rule 15 requires the government to officially publish accessibility norms before they become compulsory.
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Since this was not done, broadcasters have no legally binding responsibility to follow these standards. He also highlighted that the 2019 standards only deal with closed captions for hearing-impaired viewers and ignore audio description for blind and visually impaired persons.
This, he said, goes against Section 42 of the RPwD Act, which requires the government to ensure access to electronic media for all categories of disabled persons.
The Court has asked the government’s reply to specifically address the issue of audio-description standards as well. The case will next be heard on January 29, 2026.
The petition says that the lack of key accessibility features—such as audio description, closed captioning, and Indian Sign Language interpretation—prevents disabled viewers from independently watching news, serials, and other mainstream television content.
The plea states:
“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.”
It also refers to evidence showing that features like subtitles and audio descriptions can help people with poor literacy skills improve their learning.
It notes that:
“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 urges the Court to direct the implementation of the 2019 accessibility guidelines.
It asks for proper norms for visually impaired viewers, a clear mechanism to enforce compliance, and accessible features in TV equipment such as remotes and set-top boxes so that persons with disabilities can use them independently.
Case Title:
Rahul Bajaj v. Union of India & Ors.
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