Disability Rights: Supreme Court Directs UPSC To Allow Scribe Change Upto 7 Days Before Exam, Seeks Proposal On Screen Reader Software Use

The Supreme Court today delivered a judgment facilitating ease in change of scribe name for UPSC candidates with disabilities as well as implementation of screen reader software for those suffering visual impairment.

As per the Court's directions, candidates appearing in UPSC exams, who are eligible for a scribe, shall be permitted to request change of scribe name upto atleast 7 days before the exam. Further, UPSC shall formulate and place before the Court within 2 months a plan for use of screen reader software for visually impaired candidates in its exams.

Interestingly, the decision coincides with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta delivered the judgment in a writ petition filed by 'Mission Accessibility', an organization advocating for rights of PwDs, seeking modification of the timeline for scribe registration in the Civil Services Examination conducted by Union Public Service Commission and for permitting the use of laptops equipped with Screen Reader Software along with accessible digital question papers for eligible candidates.

The Court noted that the UPSC has since taken a conscious progressive decision to extend the facility of Screen Reader Software to visually impaired candidates in various examinations to be conducted by it. It however emphasized on the need for creases in implementation of the decision to be ironed out through "concrete planning, inter-agency collaboration, and the establishment of uniform standards", so that goal of accessibility does not remain confined to paper in forthcoming examinations.

In this backdrop, to ensure effective implementation of the decision taken by UPSC, the Court directed:

- UPSC shall ensure that in every notification for the examinations conducted by it, a clear provision is incorporated permitting candidates eligible for a scribe to request a change of scribe up to at least seven days prior to the date of the examination, and such requests shall be objectively considered and disposed of by a reasoned order within three working days of receipt of the application.

- UPSC shall file a comprehensive compliance affidavit within a period of two months from the date of this order, clearly delineating the proposed plan of action, timeline, and modalities for the deployment and use of Screen Reader Software for visually impaired candidates in the examinations to be conducted by it. The affidavit shall also specify the steps proposed for testing, standardisation, and validation of the software and related infrastructure across all or designated examination centres, and shall further indicate the feasibility of ensuring that the said facility is made operational and available to all eligible candidates from the next cycle of examinations.

- UPSC shall, in coordination with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) and the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Visual Disabilities (NIEPVD), formulate uniform guidelines and protocols for the use of Screen Reader Software and other assistive technologies to ensure standardisation, accessibility, and security of the examination process across all or identified examination centres, as deemed fit by it.

- Union of India, through the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, shall extend all necessary administrative and technical support to UPSC for the expeditious implementation of the above measures and shall facilitate coordination with State Governments and examination authorities wherever required.

- Implementation of these measures shall be undertaken in a manner that ensures full accessibility to eligible candidates while maintaining the sanctity, confidentiality, and fairness of the examination process.

The Court observed that inclusivity in governance demands not just that progressive policies be framed, but also that said policies be faithfully and effectively implemented. It also stated that UPSC's processes shall be transparent, accessible and sensitive to the needs of every segment of society. 

"Equality, in its truest sense, demands not uniformity but the removal of barriers that prevent individuals from standing on equal footing...The rights guaranteed to persons with disabilities are not acts of benevolence, but expressions of the constitutional promise of equality, dignity, and non-discrimination enshrined in Articles 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution of India."

Case Title: MISSION ACCESSIBILITY Versus UNION OF INDIA AND ANR., W.P.(C) No. 206/2025

Citation : 2025 LiveLaw (SC) 1163

Click here to read the judgment

For the petitioner(s): Mr. Amar Jain, Adv.; Ms. Sanchita Ain, AOR; Ms. Shehreen Gauri, Adv.

For the respondent(s): Mrs. Archana Pathak Dave, ASG; Mr. Udit Dedhiya, Adv.; Mr. Sudhakar Kulwant, Adv.; Mr. Yashraj Bundela, Adv.; Mr. Amit Sharma B, Adv.; Mr. Jagdish Chandra, Adv.; Dr. N. Visakamurthy, AOR; Mr. Hrishikesh Baruah, AOR; Mr. Kumar Kshitij, Adv.; Mr. Utkarsh Dwivedi, Adv.; Mr. Yashaswy Ghosh, Adv.; Ms. Pragya Agarwal, Adv.