Do not manually lift disabled person without consent, remove prosthetic limbs/calipers during security checks: Supreme Court to DGCA

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The Supreme Court has asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to ensure that disabled persons are not lifted manually without their consent or asked to remove prosthetic limbs/calipers during security checks during air travel (Jeeja Ghosh & Anr v Union of India & Ors).

The Court said that lifting a person manually without his/ her consent is inhumane.

"First is that no differently-abled person should be manually lifted without his consent. We find that the suggestion is worth considering, as the lifting of a person manually is inhumane. How the differently-abled person should be treated with dignity is left to the DGCA," the Court said.

Regarding prosthetic limbs/calipers, the Court stated that disabled persons should not be asked to remove the same during security checks to maintain human dignity.

"In the draft guidelines circulated, it has been mentioned that scanning of prosthetic limbs/calipers though full-body scanner but to what extent differently-abled persons with prosthetic limbs/calipers are required to be checked for the purpose of security should be in a manner where no such person is asked to remove prosthetic limbs/calipers to maintain human dignity while ensuring the requirement of security checks," the Court said.