‘Notify guidelines by July 15 to make films accessible to hearing, visually impaired’

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre to notify by July 15 the guidelines to make films accessible to persons who are hearing and visually impaired.

Justice Prathiba M Singh said accessibility was enforceable as a legal right and even private parties have to take “reasonable accommodation measures” to enable greater accessibility for the hearing and visually impaired persons.

The court observed that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has framed the “Draft Guidelines of Accessibility Standards in the Public Exhibition of Feature Films in Cinema Theatres for Persons with Hearing and Visual Impairment”, and was in the process of finalising the same.

“The guidelines shall now be finalised by the MIB and shall be notified on or before 15th July, 2024. It is made clear that the said guidelines shall make the provision of accessibility features mandatory and provide a reasonable period for compliance by all stakeholders, in an expeditious manner,” the court ordered recently.

“A hearing or visually impaired person, may get easy physical access to a film theatre but may not be able to enjoy the film at all, if measures to make it enjoyable are not taken by the other stakeholders, including producers, theatre managers, OTT platforms, etc,” the order said. The court stated that non-provision of accessibility features would constitute an offence under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act and the State has a positive obligation to ensure that all reasonably possible steps are taken to ensure access to them.The central govt said it “fully intended” to notify guidelines as soon as possible and its counsel prayed for time up until August 1 to notify as responses of all stakeholders had to be considered in detail.