Delhi High Court Directs Ministry to Finalise Accessibility Guidelines for Disabled Persons on OTT Platforms

The Delhi High Court has recorded an assurance from the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) that it will finalise accessibility guidelines for persons with hearing and visual disabilities on OTT platforms within three months.

The assurance came in a case filed by visually impaired petitioners, Akshat Baldwa and another, who raised concerns over the absence of accessibility features in recent Bollywood movies released on streaming platforms.

Central Government Standing Counsel Sandeep Mahapatra informed Justice Sachin Datta that the Ministry has already published draft guidelines on its official website, inviting public feedback until October 22.

Accepting this statement, the Court disposed of the plea, noting:

“It is assured by the Ministry’s counsel that the feedback or suggestions of the petitioner will be duly considered before finalising the guidelines, which shall be issued within three months.”

Earlier, the Court had directed the MIB to draft these guidelines under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, which mandates equal access to digital and public services.

During the hearing, Advocate Rahul Bajaj, representing the petitioners, pointed out that the draft guidelines appeared to rely mostly on consultations with industry representatives rather than persons with disabilities. The Court, however, allowed the petitioners to submit their comments and stated that they could pursue further legal action if their concerns remain unaddressed.

According to the draft Guidelines for Accessibility of Content on OTT Platforms, streaming services are expected to include at least one accessibility feature — such as Closed or Open Captioning (CC/OC), Audio Description (AD), or Indian Sign Language (ISL) — within six months for all new content.

The draft, however, excludes live or deferred live events, audio-only content (like music or podcasts), and short-form content such as advertisements.

These efforts aim to make India’s fast-growing OTT sector more inclusive and accessible to differently-abled audiences.