Dear Murali, This certainly needs to be challenged. I had discussed the matter with Shree Rajesh Aggarwal, our department secretary and he had also concurred. The problem here is the judges are not exposed to hardships of the disabled and in many cases, they go by their common understanding.
Sad indeed! On 12/06/2023, Muralidharan Vishwanath <[email protected]> wrote: > June 12, 2023 > > *Press Statement* > > > > In a Writ Petition {W.P.(C) 2501/2019}, the National Platform for the > Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) had prayed before the Delhi High Court to set > aside a circular issued by the Indian Railways making it mandatory for > disabled persons desirous of availing concessions for rail travel to > procure a separate photo ID card issued by the railways. It was forced to > seek legal remedy given the obstinate stance of the Railways. > > > > The Court in its order delivered recently, even while acknowledging that > the disability certificate issued by the appropriate authority is “valid > across India”, contradicts itself by upholding the legitimacy of the > issuance of a separate ID card by the railways. > > > > The NPRD had contended that apart from the universal validity of the > disability certificate issued by a competent authority, the very purpose of > the Unique Disability Identity Card (UDID) issued by the Department for > Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) of being a “single > document > of identification, verfication of the disabled for availing various > benefits > <https://www.swavlambancard.gov.in/cms/card-benefits>” stands defeated, > with the railways adamant on issuing its own separate ID card. > > > > The judgment comes at a time when the DEPwD has made the possession of the > Unique Disability Identity Card (UDID) mandatory for availing benefits > under all central government schemes from April 1, 2023, even while it has > failed in getting the Railways to accept it. > > > > Unfortunately, the Court has completely overlooked the contention of the > petitioner that the Railways are violating the mandate of the Rights of > Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPD Act). > > > > Equally baffling is the fact that even though the NPRD had not sought any > relief with regard to concessions, the entire order is premised on this > ground, which is, to put it mildly, a faulty reading of the petition. Of > the total nine pages of the order, five and a half pages are devoted merely > to detailing the various types of concessions in fares that the railways > are providing. Be that as it may, concessions cannot be viewed as some sort > of largesse, but as a matter of the duty of the State towards the > marginalised and disadvantaged. > > > > The NPRD, while expressing its strong displeasure, will be challenging this > in the Supreme Court. > > > > > > *(Muralidharan)* > > *General Secretary* > > *National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD)* > > -- > Disclaimer: > 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the > person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; > > 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails > sent through this mailing list.. > > > Search for old postings at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "AccessIndia" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/CAL7vCQ0%3DPzxv-hC0fEno5-LiYDtRe6RxGge%2BZFkUJXTmbOuwEg%40mail.gmail.com. > -- Ketan Kothari Phone: [r] 02228283281, Cell: +919987550614 +917021054612 Facebook: facebook.com/muktaketan Twitter: @muktaketan Skype ID: Ketan3333 -- Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "AccessIndia" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/accessindia.org.in/d/msgid/accessindia/CAC4kLWU-yZbk1hbd32Z%2Beira61AWku2eDdRvuEd2g44V1Ngpnw%40mail.gmail.com.
