The Bombay High Court has held that there cannot be any dispute that the currency and mints have to be disabled user-friendly.
The Bench of Acting Chief Justice S. V. Gangapurwala and Justice Sandeep V. Marne heard a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the National Association for the Blind (India) seeking directions against the Respondents to place on record the steps undertaken for protecting the rights of the blind persons to have access to information about the currency notes and currency coins.
The Association further seeks direction against the Respondents to take action under the Indian Coinage Act 1906 to make currency coins disable friendly and seeks directions against Respondent No.1 (Reserve Bank of India) to introduce blind friendly currency notes/currency coins.
On 27th September 2022 the coordinate bench of the Court recorded the submissions of the Senior Advocate for the Respondents that the Delhi High Court has constituted a Committee and that the Committee was expected to submit a report on or before 25th November 2022. It is submitted by the Advocate for Respondent No.1 that the said report has not yet been tabled by the said Committee.
It is submitted that after the present petition is filed, the Reserve Bank of India, in the year 2016, has come out with some measures and series of coins for visually impaired friendly are also introduced. The details of the same are given in the affidavit in reply filed by Respondent . It is further submitted that a Mobile Application has also been introduced for visually impaired persons. There are some issues, according to counsel for the Petitioner , with regard to the operation of the said Application. The difficulties are with regard to the volume and the application not being operational in crowded places and /or trains and buses. The Counsel submits that the difficulties are still existing and the same are stated in the additional affidavit filed by Petitioner.
According to the Counsel for Respondent No.1, the volume is adjustable on the mobile phones. So also the vibration mode is also provided in the said Application.
Respondent No.1 certainly has to take steps so that the visually impaired persons can distinguish the currency , the Bench observed.
“The Reserve Bank of India is also a party before the Delhi High Court. The moment, the report is received, the same shall be submitted to this Court by Respondent No.1, else, we will have to proceed ahead based on the averments made in the Writ Petition and the affidavits filed .”
The matter is place on 23rd June 2023 as a last chance for the Respondents.