{"id":164075,"date":"2025-05-01T19:06:52","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T13:36:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&p=164075"},"modified":"2025-05-01T19:06:52","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T13:36:52","slug":"digital-access-recognized-as-a-fundamental-right","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/digital-access-recognized-as-a-fundamental-right","title":{"rendered":"Digital Access Recognized as a Fundamental Right"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Supreme Court in <\/span><b>Amar Jain v. Union of India (2025) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">held that<\/span><b> inclusive digital access is part of the fundamental right to life and liberty<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under <\/span><b>Article 21.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Key Highlights of the Case<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Background of the Case: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The petition was filed by acid attack survivors and visually impaired individuals who were unable to complete digital Know Your Customer (KYC) due to disability-related limitations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Issue with KYC Process: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Existing digital KYC required live facial verification like blinking or positioning, which excluded those with visual impairments or facial disfigurement.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Violated Rights: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0The petition highlighted violation of:<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.801%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\">\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt; color: #000000;\"><b>Other Decisions on Internet and Digital Rights<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India (2020): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SC held that <\/span><b>access to the internet<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a Fundamental Right\u00a0 protected under<\/span><b> Article 19(1)(a) (Freedom of Speech) and Article 19(1)(g) (Right to Trade).<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Faheema Shirin RK vs. State of KeralaI (2019): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Kerala High Court recognized the <\/span><b>right to access the internet <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as part of both the<\/span><b> right to education and the right to privacy,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which is enshrined in<\/span><b> Article 21<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the Indian Constitution.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Sabu Mathew George v. Union of India (2017): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Directed proactive <\/span><b>blocking of illegal ads online<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> but affirmed<\/span><b> no curtailment of the right to access information.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><b>Article 21<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Right to Life and Dignity)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Article 14<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Right to Equality)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Article 15<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Prohibition of Discrimination)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Article 38<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Directive Principle for Social Justice)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Supreme Court (SC) Decision: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recognized <\/span><b>digital access as a constitutional right<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>issued 20 directions to the government and RBI to revise KYC norms,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> provide<\/span><b> accessible alternatives<\/b> <b>(e.g., Braille, voice-assisted),<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and<\/span><b> continue paper-based options.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>About the Right to Digital Access<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Digital access refers to the ability of individuals or groups to access and effectively utilize digital technologies and resources.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This encompasses various aspects, including access to the internet, computers, smartphones, software, and digital services<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Digital Access as a Constitutional Imperative and is an \u201c<\/span><b>instinctive component\u201d of Article 21,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as it is vital for accessing governance, education, healthcare, and welfare services.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Substantive Equality Principle: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The judgment applied this principle to stress that digital platforms must account for diverse abilities,<\/span><b> not just offer formal equality.<\/b><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Global Recognition as Right : The UN Human Rights Council <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">declared<\/span><b> internet access a human right in 2016,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> building upon the earlier recognition of this <\/span><b>right by countries like Costa Rica (2010), Finland (2009), and Estonia (2000).<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Challenges to Digital Access<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Barriers for Marginalized Groups: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Persons with disabilities (PwDs), rural communities, senior citizens, and linguistic minorities face systemic exclusion due to<\/span><b> inaccessible infrastructure and content.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Technological Discrimination: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many digital interfaces are designed without inclusive features like voice support, tactile interfaces, or regional languages, excluding vulnerable users.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Government Initiatives to Improve Digital Access<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Digital India Mission: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Launched to transform India into a digitally empowered society by <\/span><b>expanding internet access, e-governance, and digital literacy.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>BharatNet and PMGDISHA: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">BharatNet aims<\/span><b> to connect rural areas with high-speed internet<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">; PMGDISHA focuses on digital literacy for rural citizens.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Accessible India Campaign: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Promotes <\/span><b>inclusive infrastructure in digital services<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for persons with disabilities under the<\/span><b> Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Significance of Digital Access as a Fundamental Right<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Enables Equal Participation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Digital inclusion allows marginalized groups to access financial services, social welfare schemes, and online education, ensuring autonomy and dignity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Reduces Rural-Urban Divide:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Access to online platforms helps bridge socio-economic gaps between urban and rural areas.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Supports Inclusive Development:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recognizing digital access as a fundamental right ensures no citizen is left behind in the digital transformation process.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.6375%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 111.19%; 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Union of India (2025) held that inclusive digital access is part of the fundamental right to life and liberty under Article 21.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":164069,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[2084],"subject":[4632,2124],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/164075"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/current-affairs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=164075"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/164075\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/164069"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=164075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=164075"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=164075"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=164075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}