The Supreme Court on Tuesday (January 13, 2026) urged corporates and investors to consider the inclusion of disabled persons not as a mere “compliance issue” but also as a "strategic advantage" that would enhance their business performance, resilience and social impact.
The judgment by a Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and K.V. Viswanathan is the second in as many months with the Supreme Court stepping in to highlight that business corporations do not only lead a profit-only existence but have a constitutional duty to contribute to the society and environment.
In December last year, the apex court had interpreted ‘corporate social responsibility’ or CSR to inherently include environmental responsibility, holding that the legal person of a corporation has a fundamental duty to protect the environment as a key organ of the society.
On Tuesday, the Bench headed by Justice Pardiwala exercised the court’s extraordinary constitutional powers of the Supreme Court under Article 142 of the Constitution to direct Coal India Limited (CIL) to give Sujata Bora, who has multiple disabilities, a supernumerary post with a separate desk and specially-designed computer at its North Eastern Coalfields office in Assam.
