New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notice to Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, the parent company of ZEE5on the grounds that the OTT platform is not accessible to people with disabilities, especially the blind, who depend on assistive screen reading technology to navigate such digital platforms.
A bench of Justice Swaran Kanta Sharma issued notice to the platform on a plea filed by disability rights lawyer Rahul Bajaj, who was diagnosed with 100 per cent visual impairment.
In his statement, Bajaj emphasized that he is a disability rights expert and legal practitioner committed to removing barriers to digital access for people with disabilities.
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The next hearing of the case will take place on September 17 this year.
During the hearing on Thursday, a single judge bench orally inquired as to why no one appeared in court on behalf of the OTT platform. On top of this, the applicant, who appeared in person, stated that it is necessary to take at least temporary steps so that people with visual impairments can also enjoy the ongoing World Cup on an equal basis with their able-bodied peers. The court agreed and said, “In the meantime, let steps be taken to make the platform accessible.”
Indication of the urgency of the matter due to Sea5 holding the exclusive rights to broadcast the 2026 FIFA World Cup in India, the statement said that since the tournament is of significant public interest, it should be available to everyone equally.
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What does the claim argue for?
The statement notes that blind and visually impaired people access the computer using a screen reader.
“A screen reader reads the content displayed on the screen using a human voice. For a screen reader to work well, the application or website must be accessible” or meet Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) guidelines, the statement said.
These guidelines are based on globally accepted parameters for digital accessibility, the statement said, adding that under Section 46 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, all service providers must comply with set accessibility standards for a period of two years. The statement also said that this two-year compliance window expired in May 2025.
Apart from this, other guidelines provided on Government of India websites containing parameters for digital accessibility must be complied with by June 2019, the statement said, adding that all digital platforms operating in the Indian market are now under a “continuing legislative obligation” to ensure they are accessible to people with disabilities.
The broader issue outlined in the statement was that the platform Sea5 is also generally inaccessible from the start, as even purchasing a subscription to an OTT platform is a “major hassle” due to factors such as unlabeled buttons and an otherwise inaccessible interface that cannot be navigated meaningfully using a screen reader.
In a scenario where one manages to get a subscription to the platform, it suffers from “pervasive barriers” such as mislabeled controls, unstable focus, inaccessible media player, poor content detection and dynamic interface, and automatic cursor movement, the statement added.
For these reasons, the applicant argued that the fundamental rights of persons with disabilities to equality, freedom of speech and expression, and to life were being violated. Relying on the 2025 Supreme Court decision in Pragya Prasoon v. Union of India, the plea argued that the right to digital access is an integral part of the right to life under Article 21.
(Editing by Amrtansh Arora)
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