Bombay High Court forms committee to examine airport facilities for seniors, persons with disabilities

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday constituted a three-member committee to examine whether airports are adequately equipped with facilities to cater to the needs of senior citizens and persons with disabilities across India, particularly with respect to the unavailability of wheelchairs at airports. .The committee will be chaired by retired Justice Goda Raghuram, a former judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, and will also include a senior official from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)..A Division Bench of Justices GS Kulkarni and Advait M Sethna passed the order constituting the committee. “We are constituting a committee. An effective committee. Very, very useful. We don’t think there is anything adverse in this. In fact, it is going to be useful for DGCA,” the Court said, while addressing Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Anil Singh, who appeared for the DGCA. Following the pronouncement, the DGCA also agreed that the committee’s work would be of help..According to the Court's order, the committee will deliberate on the concerns flagged during hearings, consult petitioners, travellers and other stakeholders, and recommend essential norms to enable comfortable travel for senior citizens and wheelchair users. .The Court was hearing two petitions, including one filed by an 81-year-old woman and her daughter, who experienced significant distress at the Mumbai International Airport in September 2023 due to inadequate wheelchair assistance. The elderly woman had to give up her wheelchair for her daughter, who suffers from acute arthritis, as only one mobility aid was provided upon arrival. Another petitioner, a 53-year-old man, also flagged similar issues..When the matter was heard on April 21, the Bench expressed deep concern over the lack of proper facilities at airports for senior citizens and specially-abled persons.“Nobody should suffer,” Justice Kulkarni said. The DGCA, in an affidavit, had cited over-booking as a reason for the shortage of wheelchairs, an explanation the Court firmly rejected.When the matter was again taken up on Tuesday, the High Court made it clear that the committee's role is purely recommendatory and not adversarial in nature and that it is for the DGCA to ultimately consider the committee's recommendations and make an appropriate call as permissible by law.The matter will be heard next on June 30.