Accessibility Facilities For Visually Impaired Candidates In AIBE, CLAT Expected Soon, Supreme Court Told

The Supreme Court was recently informed that its directions to provide facilities for visually impaired students, including the use of JAWS (Job Access With Speech) screen reader, and permission to use customised keyboards and mouse to answer questions on a Word document on the computer, with the additional option of using a scribe as per government guidelines, for the All India Bar Exam(AIBE), and future editions of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) are likely to be implemented from next year. On August 13, a bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed that the interim directions issued earlier on December 5, 2024, and December 11, 2024, regarding facilities for visually impaired candidates for the AIBE, shall apply to future editions of the CLAT. The order was passed in a writ petition by visually impaired law students who sought to appear for the CLAT – Postgraduate exam 2024-25 and AIBE. Pursuant to the interim orders, fresh guidelines were issued by the Government on August 1. On November 13, the same bench was informed by the Additional Solicitor General Archana Dave Pathak that the guidelines were kept in abeyance vide an OM dated September 10 till December 31. This is because of the lack of facilities to implement the same. She assured that the fresh guidelines are likely to be issued along with the requisite facilities from the upcoming year."It is ointed out that the Government of India issued some guidelines on 01.08.2025, which were kept in abeyance vide O.M. dated 10.09.2025 because of the unpreparedness to implement those guidelines in letter and spirit. The learned counsel for the petitioners, as well as the learned Additional Solicitor General of India, point out that the instructions are likely to be reinforced along with the requisite facilities after 31.12.2025. Meanwhile, the Bar Council of India may issue the necessary circulars in terms of the decisions that have been taken so far," the Court noted.On December 5, 2024, the Court had directed the Bar Council of India to provide facilities for two visually impaired candidates appearing for the AIBE, including the availability of JAWS and NVDA screen readers, permission to use personal keyboards and a customised mouse, and allowing completion of software installation a day before the examination. It further directed that candidates should have the option to answer questions on a computer or through a scribe. At the same time, it expressed surprise that the NLU Consortium does not have any policy in this regard.On December 11, 2024, it directed that all necessary arrangements must be made to enable visually impaired candidates to answer questions on computers if they so desired, while also retaining the option of using a scribe for the AIBE. It further directed that any scribe should not belong to a humanities or law background and should have an educational qualification one step below that of the candidate, in line with Government of India guidelines dated August 29, 2018.Matter will now be heard on January 20, 2026. Case Details: Yash Dodani & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors.|Writ Petition (Civil) No.785/2024Click Here To Read Order

Accessibility Facilities For Visually Impaired Candidates In AIBE, CLAT Expected Soon, Supreme Court Told

Gursimran Kaur Bakshi

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