The Madras High Court on Wednesday ordered the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry governments to strictly follow the commission's August 3, 2023 instructions. These rules aim to encourage disabled persons and senior citizens to vote easily and in large numbers. Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan suo motu added the Chief Secretaries of both states as respondents in a public interest litigation case. They have asked for a report on compliance by the last week of January 2026. The court noted that the ECI asked all Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) to start identifying, enrolling, and mapping disabled voters by gathering information from government sources. This helps ensure no eligible voter is missed. CEOs must also prepare detailed data for each polling station showing the types of disabilities of voters. Nodal officers must be appointed to make sure basic facilities are available for disabled voters. These voters should get priority at polling booths, voter assistance points, facilitation centres, and various election offices. The instructions emphasize that no inconvenience should be caused to them. Regarding infrastructure, polling booths should be on ground floors with easy access, keeping voter ease in mind. The instructions stress good approach roads, enough parking for disabled vehicles, and ample space for wheelchairs. Permanent ramps with a slope no steeper than 1:12 must be provided. Temporary wooden plank ramps will not be accepted, the Bench clarified. Wheelchairs must also be available at select polling stations, and disabled and senior voters must be informed about this. They will get priority and, if needed, a separate queue. Free public transport passes are to be given to disabled and senior voters on polling day. If public transport isn’t available, private vehicles must be arranged for free pickup and drop service from home to polling stations. Additionally, the Bench asked the ECI to update on a request to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. This request aims to audit the ECI’s web portals and mobile apps for universal accessibility. The report is expected by the next hearing.