SEBI's circular dated July 31, 2026 gives Regulated Entities more time to finish their digital accessibility audits and fix what those audits find. The new deadline is October 31, 2026. Nothing else about the underlying accessibility compliance requirement changes.
SEBI's push to make market-facing digital platforms compliant with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 has been building since mid-2025, across a series of four circulars. Regulated Entities were told to audit their digital platforms for accessibility and fix what the audits turned up. That's proven to be more work than the original timeline allowed for.
SEBI says it received representations from REs asking for more time, reviewed where compliance actually stood, and has now granted a targeted extension — not a blanket one.
What's Actually Extended
The extension covers exactly two activities: conducting the Accessibility Audit of digital platforms, and remediating the findings from that audit. Both now have until October 31, 2026 to be completed.
Every other provision across the four referenced circulars remains in force on its original timeline. REs still need to comply with those requirements as originally specified — this circular does not reopen or soften anything beyond the audit-and-remediation deadline.
The Four Circulars This Amends
Compliance Checklist
CorpLawUpdates Analysis
This is a narrow, practical relief measure rather than a policy shift. SEBI isn't diluting the accessibility mandate — it's acknowledging that audits plus remediation, done properly, take longer than the original schedule assumed, especially for REs auditing platforms they didn't originally design with accessibility standards in mind.
The risk for REs is treating this as a soft deadline. SEBI has now granted one extension after receiving representations; there's no indication a second one is coming, and REs that haven't started their audits should not assume October 31 is negotiable.
Source: SEBI Circular HO/(411)2026-ITD-5_DIV2/I/17922/2026 dated July 31, 2026, "Extension of timelines with respect to compliance of Digital Accessibility Circulars."
This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal or regulatory advice. Verify with primary regulatory sources before acting.
