Supreme Court of India issued Guidelines to the Visual Media to Ensure a Dignified Portrayal of Persons with Disabilities

In judgment dated 8 July 2024, the division bench comprising the Chief Justice of India, Dr D Y Chandrachud, and Justice J B Pardiwala, issued guidelines to the visual media to ensure a dignified portrayal of persons with
disabilities. The case was related to the use of derogatory terms and stereotypical portrayal in a movie for characters with certain medical conditions and persons with disabilities. The Court held that the creative freedom of the filmmaker under Article 19(1)(a) cannot be protected if the overall work of the filmmaker

shows a stereotypical portrayal of persons with disabilities. It violates the right to dignity and the right against discrimination of persons with disabilities. The Court distinguished between “disabling humour”, which disparages persons with disability, undermining the dignity of individuals, from “disability humour”, which
challenges traditional views on disability and is used to eliminate prejudices. The Court also laid guidelines for the decision-making authorities to assess the overall message of any film on the dignity of individuals.