Accessibility law · Asia-Pacific

India GIGW 3.0 → WCAG 2.1 AA · IS 17802

In India, the standard to meet is GIGW 3.0 → WCAG 2.1 AA · IS 17802. It binds government and private establishments and service providers. This page was reviewed against primary sources on 30 September 2026.

Standard
GIGW 3.0 → WCAG 2.1 AA · IS 17802
Private sector
Covered
Accessibility statement
Not required
Next deadline
31 Oct 2026
Reviewed
30 September 2026
The 50 criteria All jurisdictions Checklist

Scope

Who it applies to

Government bodies and private service providers must meet the accessibility standards in rule 15 of the RPwD Rules: GIGW 3.0 (WCAG 2.1 AA) for websites and IS 17802 for ICT products and services. The Supreme Court has held digital access part of the right to life and told regulators to require WCAG 2.1 and periodic audits; SEBI-regulated firms must finish audits and fixes by 31 October 2026. Breach can bring fines under s. 89, action by the disability commissioners, or court orders, and binding ICT rules were published in draft in July 2026.

  • Public sector

    Central and state governments and the bodies they own, control or fund. GIGW 3.0 applies to government websites, web apps and mobile apps, and the Supreme Court has directed that government websites and apps meet WCAG 2.1 and GIGW.

  • Private sector

    Covered

    Private establishments (companies, firms, trusts, societies and similar bodies, s. 2(v)) and service providers "whether Government or private" (s. 46), with no size threshold. SEBI-regulated entities have their own audit duties. The draft 2026 rules would reach any establishment, Indian or foreign, that makes ICT available to people in India.

Coverage

What it covers

Websites are only part of it. Each tile says whether these rules reach that kind of product, with the detail.

  • Websites

    Covered

    Rule 15(1)(c) names the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites; courts and SEBI name WCAG 2.1.

  • Mobile apps

    Covered

    GIGW 3.0 covers government apps; IS 17802 covers ICT services; SEBI and the Supreme Court name apps.

  • Documents

    Covered

    Documents on websites must be ePUB or OCR-based PDF (rule 15(1)(c)(ii)); SEBI requires tagged PDFs.

  • Software

    Partly

    IS 17802 applies to ICT products generally, but rule 15 was held recommendatory in 2024.

  • Kiosks and terminals

    Partly

    Covered only through IS 17802 and court directions on devices; the draft rules add ICT hardware.

  • Public procurement

    Partly

    Required for SEBI entities and ordered for regulated entities by the Supreme Court; the draft rules would bind government buying.

Timeline

Deadlines

Next: 31 Oct 2026. SEBI's extended deadline to finish accessibility audits and fix the findings.

Dates move, so check the linked source before you plan around one.

  1. 15 Jun 2017 In force

    RPwD Rules take effect; rule 15 names the government website guidelines for websites and ePUB or OCR-based PDF for documents.

    Source

  2. 10 May 2023 In force

    Rule 15 amended to add IS 17802 (Parts 1 and 2) for ICT products and services.

    Source

  3. 8 Nov 2024 In force

    Rajive Raturi: rule 15(1) held ultra vires; the Union told to frame mandatory rules within three months.

    Source

  4. 30 Apr 2025 In force

    Pragya Prasun and Amar Jain: digital access is part of Article 21; websites and apps to meet WCAG 2.1 and GIGW.

    Source

  5. 31 Jul 2025 In force

    SEBI makes digital accessibility mandatory for all its regulated entities (WCAG 2.1 or later, GIGW, IS 17802).

    Source

  6. 16 Jul 2026 In force

    Draft RPwD (Amendment) Rules, 2026 issued for 30 days of public comment; not yet in force.

    Source

  7. 31 Oct 2026 Upcoming

    SEBI's extended deadline to finish accessibility audits and fix the findings.

    Source

Instruments

The law in India

6 laws, rules and rulings, oldest first. Each links to its primary source.

Every fact points at a primary source. Dates move, and several moved in 2025 and 2026, so check the source before you rely on one.

  1. 2016

    Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016

    Act 49 of 2016 — ss. 40, 42, 46, 89

    s. 40 requires the Union to make accessibility rules, including for information and communication technology; s. 42 requires accessible audio, print and electronic media; s. 46 gives service providers, government or private, two years from the rules to comply. s. 89 fines any contravention.

    Primary source

  2. 2017 · am. 2023

    Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017 — rule 15

    G.S.R. 591(E); rule 15(1)(c) as amended in 2023, quoted in Rajive Raturi

    Every establishment must meet the Guidelines for Indian Government Websites for websites, publish documents on websites as ePUB or OCR-based PDF, and, since May 2023, comply with IS 17802 (Parts 1 and 2) for ICT products and services.

    Primary source

  3. 2023

    GIGW 3.0

    Guidelines for Indian Government Websites and Apps — NIC, with STQC and CERT-In

    Covers government websites, portals, web applications and mobile apps and was upgraded to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. STQC offers Certified Quality Website certification for compliant sites.

    Primary source

  4. 8 Nov 2024

    Rajive Raturi v. Union of India

    Supreme Court of India — 2024 INSC 858

    Held rule 15(1) ultra vires because its standards read as recommendations, and directed the Union to frame mandatory, non-negotiable rules under s. 40 within three months, involving NALSAR-CDS. Progressive compliance with the existing rule 15 standards must continue meanwhile.

    Primary source

  5. 30 Apr 2025 Latest

    Pragya Prasun & Amar Jain v. Union of India

    Supreme Court of India — 2025 INSC 599

    Held that digital access is part of the right to life under Article 21. Directed that regulated entities, government or private, follow accessibility standards and undergo periodic audits by certified professionals, and that websites, apps and digital platforms comply with WCAG 2.1 and GIGW.

    Primary source

  6. Jul 2026

    Draft RPwD (Amendment) Rules, 2026

    S.O. 3962(E), 16 July 2026 — draft for comment

    Would replace rule 15(1)(c) with binding ICT rules: websites, apps, software, documents and ICT hardware must meet IS 17802 Parts 1 and 2, backed by a published Accessibility Conformance Report. Proposed timelines are one year for establishments with turnover of ₹500 crore or more and 18 months for others. Not in force.

    Primary source

Enforcement

Enforcement and penalties

  • Who enforces

    The Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities and State Commissioners; the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities frames the rules; sector regulators such as SEBI enforce their own circulars.

  • How

    Commissioners inquire into deprivation of rights on complaint or on their own motion, with civil-court powers (ss. 75, 77); an authority must act on a recommendation within three months or give reasons (s. 76). Courts enforce through writ petitions, as in Raturi and Amar Jain. SEBI checks audit reports filed by its regulated entities.

  • Penalties

    s. 89: a fine of up to ₹10,000 for a first contravention of the Act or rules, and ₹50,000 to ₹5 lakh for later ones; company officers can also be liable (s. 90). The Supreme Court directed governments to apply s. 89 fines once mandatory rules are in place.

  • Individuals

    Individuals can complain to the Chief Commissioner or a State Commissioner, use an entity's accessibility grievance channel (SEBI requires one), or file a writ petition in a High Court or the Supreme Court.

Accessibility statement

No statement is required

Not required

No general duty to publish an accessibility statement is in force. SEBI-regulated entities must file audit reports with SEBI or their exchange or depository, not publish them. The draft 2026 rules would require a public Accessibility Conformance Report for each covered product or service, in human-readable and machine-readable form, re-tested after major changes and reviewed at least every two years.

Exemptions

What is exempt

Exemptions are narrow and usually have to be claimed and explained, not assumed.

  • The Central Government, after consulting the Chief Commissioner, may extend the deadline for certain categories of services (s. 46 proviso).
  • Reasonable accommodation is limited to adjustments that do not impose a disproportionate or undue burden (s. 2(y)).
  • Proposed only (draft 2026 rules): clearly marked archived content not intended for active use.

The standard

What WCAG 2.1 Level AA asks for

50 success criteria: 30 at Level A and 20 at Level AA. 4.1.1 Parsing counts in this version, but WCAG 2.2 removed it as obsolete, so it has no page here.

1. Perceivable

2. Operable

3. Understandable

4. Robust

Beyond the law

6 Level A and AA criteria in WCAG 2.2 that these rules do not require yet. Meeting them now costs little and is where the rules are heading.

Meeting it

Where to start

The standard named here is WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

  1. Audit your pages against WCAG 2.1 Level AA: 50 success criteria at Level A and AA.
  2. Check text and control contrast in the Contrast Checker.
  3. Run the URL Analyzer for the problems a machine can find, then test with a keyboard and a screen reader.
  4. If you sell to the public sector, document conformance in an accessibility conformance report, such as a VPAT or an EN 301 549 statement.
  5. Work through the Accessibility Checklist and keep a record of what you tested.

This is a summary to orient you, not legal advice. For a decision that matters, read the primary sources and ask a lawyer who practices there.

Questions

Common questions

  • Does it apply to private companies?

    Yes. The Act defines establishments to include private companies, firms, trusts and similar bodies, and s. 46 requires service providers "whether Government or private" to follow the accessibility rules. In Amar Jain the Supreme Court told authorities to direct all regulated entities, government or private, to follow accessibility standards. The draft 2026 rules would also reach foreign firms offering ICT to people in India.

  • Which standard should we test against?

    For websites and apps, WCAG 2.1 Level AA: GIGW 3.0 is built on it, and both the Supreme Court and SEBI name WCAG 2.1. For ICT products and services generally, IS 17802 Parts 1 and 2, which rule 15 has named since May 2023 and which the draft 2026 rules would make the single binding test.

  • Is rule 15 still binding after the Raturi judgment?

    The Court held rule 15(1) ultra vires because it did not set a mandatory floor, but it said progressive compliance with the existing standards must continue while the Union frames mandatory rules. Those rules were only published in draft on 16 July 2026, so treat GIGW, IS 17802 and WCAG 2.1 as the expected baseline now.

  • We are regulated by SEBI. What is due?

    A nodal officer for digital accessibility, an accessibility grievance channel, an audit of all investor-facing websites, apps and portals by IAAP-certified professionals that includes testing by persons with disabilities, and remediation of the findings. SEBI extended the audit and remediation deadline to 31 October 2026; annual audits follow.

  • What are the penalties?

    Under s. 89, a fine of up to ₹10,000 for a first contravention and ₹50,000 to ₹5 lakh for later ones. Commissioners can inquire and recommend action, and courts can issue binding directions. The draft 2026 rules would add remediation orders with a 90-day window and possible suspension of registrations or approvals.

Sources

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these; the few secondary sources are marked. Reviewed 30 September 2026.

Elsewhere

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