The Delhi High Court has directed that a joint meeting be held between concerned stakeholders who must explore a workable resolution to broader concerns regarding accessibility of films for persons with disabilities.

In an order passed on August 10, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma directed that a decision be taken by the stakeholders after the joint meeting within a period of two weeks.

The Court passed the order while dealing a plea filed in 2024 by Rahul Bajaj, a lawyer and person with visual impairment, concerning accessibility features in films, including Pushpa 2: The Rule.

He had sought directions to ensure that Pushpa 2 movie is released with accessibility features such as audio description (AD), same-language closed captioning (CC) and Indian Sign Language, across cinema theatres, OTT platforms and other media formats, in accordance with the Accessibility Standards in the Public Exhibition of Feature Films in Cinema Theatres issued by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on March 15, 2024.

He had also sought directions concerning installation of assistive devices and technologies in theatres, compliance with accessibility requirements by digital ticket-booking platforms, and periodic publication of information regarding films certified with or without accessibility features.

It was Bajaj's case that, as a person with visual impairment, he was unable to access films on an equal footing with other members of the public in absence of appropriate accessibility features, particularly audio description and same-language captioning, subtitling or Indian Sign Language.

He contended that despite the statutory and regulatory framework mandating accessibility for persons with disabilities, films continued to be exhibited without such features on a universal basis.

During the hearing on August 10, the counsel appearing for the respondents submitted that the grievance specifically concerning Pushpa 2 film had already been addressed and appropriate measures had been taken.

However, Bajaj said that his grievance was not confined to the film in question but concerned accessibility of other movies generally.

He submitted that persons with disabilities continued to face similar difficulties in accessing other films and that the issue therefore required a broader resolution.

Taking note of the nature and wider implications of the grievance raised by Bajaj, the Court considered it appropriate to afford an opportunity to all the concerned stakeholders to deliberate upon the issue and explore a mutually acceptable resolution.

“Accordingly, a joint meeting of all stakeholders, including the petitioner and the respondents, shall be convened within a period of one week from today to consider the broader concerns regarding accessibility of films raised by the petitioner,” the Court directed.

“The stakeholders shall, upon such deliberations, endeavour to arrive at an appropriate and workable resolution, and a decision pursuant thereto shall be taken positively within a period of two weeks from today,” it said.

The matter has now been listed on September 11.

Title: RAHUL BAJAJ v. MYTHRI MOVIE MAKERS AND ORS

Click here to read order