March 14, 2019
26 July 2019. That’s the deadline by when the
Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Social
Justice & Empowerment (MSJE) have to respond to the
National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD)’s
petition seeking to dismiss a circular mandating a separate disability
identity card in order to avail concessions in booking railway tickets.
The circular issued by the Union Railways Ministry was
challenged at the Delhi High Court by the NPRD, which is a
nationwide cross disability rights group. The petition argued that the
circular is in complete violation with the Unique Disability Identity
Card (UDID) .
In court Advocate Subhash Chandran, lawyer for the
petitioner, argued that a separate disability card would defeat the purpose
of the UDID, which is to serve as a universal Id across India. The main
purpose of the UDID is to save people with disabilities the hassle and
harassment of getting separate certificates or cards for availing every
government scheme.
The Chief Justice did not issue a stay on the circular but said that there
was a case for the petitioner and set the date for the next hearing on 26
July. The Railways Ministry will have to file a counter affidavit by then.
– Advocate Subhash Chandran, Lawyer for the petitioner
In issuing such a circular, the Railways Ministry is at odds with another
government ministry, the MSJE, which has stated that “The UDID card will be
the single document of identification, verification of the disabled for
availing various benefits in future”.
The UDID’s legal validity is also provided for in Section 58, of RPWD Act
2016, which says “The certificate of disability issued under this section
shall be valid across the country”.
The decision to file the petition says the NPRD comes after “repeated
appeals to the Railways to scrap this card which apart from imposing unwanted
burdens on disabled persons was also costing the exchequer failed to receive
any response”.
ALSO READ:Railways’ refusal to accept UDID cards underlines larger apathy
towards disabled passengers
Source: https://newzhook.com/story/21667
