RPwDIndia
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act
India law mandating digital accessibility. Government Guidelines for Indian Government Websites (GIGW) 3.0 align with WCAG 2.1 AA and add India-specific mandatory items (bilingual Hindi/English access, a "Screen Reader Access" link, an HTML sitemap, a text-resize widget, an accessibility statement, a Help link, and content-owner/last-updated footer info). Since 10 May 2023 (G.S.R. 359(E)), the RPwD Rules require websites, apps and ICT-based products and services to comply with IS 17802 Parts 1 and 2, which adopt EN 301 549 and so WCAG 2.1 AA. In Rajive Raturi v. Union of India (8 November 2024) the Supreme Court also directed the government to make its accessibility rules mandatory.
Key facts
- Jurisdiction
- India
- Issued by
- Ministry of Social Justice
- Year
- 2016
- Conformance Standard
- WCAG 2.1 AA (GIGW 3.0, IS 17802)
- Applies To
- Government and private sector digital services
- What it requires
- RPwD Rules, Rule 15(1)(c)(iii) (G.S.R. 359(E), 10 May 2023): websites, apps and ICT-based products and services must comply with IS 17802 (Parts 1 and 2)
Check your website against RPwD
Start a scan with this law’s WCAG version and level already selected. Automated checks find many issues, but not all; a full review also needs manual testing.