IS 17802 — Indian Standard for Web Accessibility

IS 17802 — Indian Standard for Web Accessibility

IS 17802 is India's national standard for web accessibility, published by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Aligned with WCAG 2.1, it is the technical specification referenced by Section 42 of the RPwD Act and the formal standards basis for government and regulated digital accessibility compliance in India.

Or View Audit Methodology

What Is IS 17802?

IS 17802 is the Indian Standard for Information Technology — Web Accessibility, published by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) under the Technical Committee on Information Technology. The standard is aligned with WCAG 2.1, making it the formal national standards specification through which India's W3C-aligned accessibility requirements are codified into domestic law.

IS 17802 holds a unique position in India's digital accessibility regulatory architecture: it is the "concerned standardisation body" standard referenced by Section 42 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. This means IS 17802 conformance is not merely a technical achievement — it is the operative definition of RPwD Act digital compliance for web-based systems.

In practice, IS 17802 conformance is achieved by demonstrating WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance — the standard it adopts and formalises in the Indian national standards context.

Or View Audit Methodology

Why IS 17802 Matters for Compliance

IS 17802 Matters for Compliance

Many organisations in India assess their digital accessibility informally — running automated scans, issuing self-certified accessibility statements, or treating WCAG as an international standard with no domestic legal anchor. IS 17802 changes this calculus.
Because IS 17802 is a BIS-published national standard explicitly referenced by a statute (the RPwD Act), non-conformance is not a design oversight — it is a failure to meet a standard required by law. This distinction is critical in three contexts:

  • Regulatory enforcement — When a regulator (SEBI, MeitY, NIC) or Commissioner requests evidence of accessibility compliance, IS 17802 conformance is the verifiable basis for that evidence
  • Legal proceedings — In RPwD Act complaints or litigation, IS 17802 compliance is the technical standard a court would apply to determine whether digital accessibility obligations were met
  • Procurement and contracts — Government procurement requirements and vendor qualification processes increasingly specify IS 17802 conformance as a condition of contract — making it a commercial as well as regulatory requirement
View more about RPwD Act 2016View SEBI Digital Accessibility

What IS 17802 Requires

IS 17802 adopts and formalises WCAG 2.1. Its technical requirements map directly to the WCAG 2.1 success criteria at Levels A and AA. A full IS 17802 conformance audit is, in technical terms, a WCAG 2.1 Level AA audit — conducted by qualified accessibility auditors against the complete success criteria set.

Requirements are as follows:

The Four WCAG Principles Adopted by IS 17802

  • Perceivable — All information and UI components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive. Text alternatives for non-text content, adaptable content presentation, sufficient colour contrast, and no content that relies solely on sensory characteristics.
  • Operable — All interface components and navigation must be operable. Keyboard accessibility, sufficient time to interact, avoidance of seizure-inducing content, and navigational aids.
  • Understandable — Information and interface operation must be understandable. Readable, predictable content, input assistance, and error prevention for forms.
  • Robust — Content must be robust enough for reliable interpretation by a wide variety of user agents, including current and future assistive technologies.

Level A and Level AA Success Criteria

IS 17802 Level AA conformance — which maps to WCAG 2.1 Level AA — requires that all Level A (minimum) and Level AA (enhanced) success criteria are met. For most organisations, this represents 50 testable requirements covering colour contrast, keyboard access, form labelling, focus management, screen reader compatibility, and much more. IS 17802 also acknowledges WCAG 2.1 Level AAA success criteria as aspirational enhancements — not mandatory for conformance, but indicative of a higher standard of accessibility provision.

Mobile and Application Scope

IS 17802 applies not only to websites but to web-based applications and, by extension in the Indian regulatory context, mobile applications. Government and regulated organisations with native mobile apps should treat IS 17802 and its WCAG basis as applicable to all user-facing digital surfaces.

Who Needs to Comply with IS 17802?

IS 17802 applies most directly where Indian law, procurement, or sector rules require conformance to the national web accessibility standard. The organisations below are typically in scope.

Government and Public Sector

All central and state government websites and applications (via RPwD Act Section 42 and GIGW 3.0)

PSUs and statutory bodies with citizen-facing digital platforms

NIC-managed and Digital India platforms

E-governance services and citizen portals

Regulated Private Sector

SEBI-regulated financial intermediaries — where IS 17802 conformance is the technical basis for SEBI digital accessibility compliance

Licensed banks, NBFCs, and insurance companies — RBI and IRDAI guidelines reference accessible digital banking

Healthcare providers receiving government funding or operating under Ayushman Bharat

Educational institutions receiving public funding

Private Sector — Procurement and Contractual

Technology vendors in government procurement processes — IS 17802 conformance is increasingly a bid qualification requirement

SaaS companies selling to government or regulated enterprise customers

Any organisation for which a contractual accessibility requirement references Indian national standards

How an IS 17802 Conformance Audit Works

An IS 17802 conformance audit from Accord Compliance is a structured, evidence-based assessment against all applicable WCAG 2.1 Level AA success criteria — the standard that IS 17802 adopts. The audit methodology and independence standards are the same applied across all Accord Compliance engagements.

Step 1 — Digital Asset Inventory and Scope Agreement)

All in-scope websites, web applications, and mobile applications are identified. For large organisations or government estates, a risk-based prioritisation ensures the highest-impact digital touchpoints are assessed first. Scope is formally agreed before testing begins.

Request a callback

Step 2 — Expert Manual Testing Against WCAG 2.1 AA

All in-scope websites, web applications, and mobile applications are identified. For large organisations or government estates, a risk-based prioritisation ensures the highest-impact digital touchpoints are assessed first. Scope is formally agreed before testing begins.

Request a callback

Step 3 — IS 17802 Conformance Mapping

Each finding is mapped to the applicable WCAG 2.1 success criterion and its IS 17802 equivalent. The report structure explicitly references IS 17802 — not just WCAG — to produce documentation that is usable in regulatory, legal, and procurement contexts where the national standard must be cited.

Request a callback

Step 4 — Compliance Report Delivery

The final report package includes: a WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance assessment, IS 17802 conformance summary, non-conformance register with severity grading and evidence documentation, remediation guidance, and an executive compliance summary for governance and regulatory stakeholders.

Request a callback

IS 17802, GIGW 3.0, and the RPwD Act — Clarifying the Relationship

The three primary instruments of India's digital accessibility compliance framework are related but distinct. Understanding their relationship prevents compliance gaps and audit scope confusion:

RPwD Act 2016, Section 42 — statutory obligation

RPwD Act 2016, Section 42

The statute. Creates the legal obligation to provide accessible digital services using national standards. Applies directly to government; extends to regulated private sector entities.

IS 17802 — formalised national web accessibility standard

IS 17802

The standard. Published by BIS, it formalises WCAG 2.1 as India's national web accessibility standard. This is the 'concerned standardisation body' standard that Section 42 references. IS 17802 conformance = RPwD Act compliance for digital.

GIGW 3.0 — operational framework for government websites

GIGW 3.0 (MeitY / NIC)

The operational guidelines for government websites that implement WCAG 2.1 requirements.

For government organisations: compliance requires meeting all three — the statutory obligation (RPwD Act), the national standard (IS 17802), and the operational guidelines (GIGW 3.0). They are cumulative, not alternative. For regulated private sector organisations: compliance requires meeting the statutory obligation (RPwD Act) and the national standard (IS 17802). GIGW 3.0 applies to government digital assets specifically, not to private sector platforms.

View more about RPwD ActView more about GIGW 3.0

What an IS 17802 Audit Delivers

IS 17802 / WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance audit report — per digital asset, evidence-backed

Non-conformance register — mapped to IS 17802 and WCAG 2.1 success criteria, severity-graded

Regulatory compliance summary — structured for RPwD Act, SEBI, or government procurement use

Accessibility statement — accurate to audit findings, formatted for publication

Remediation priority guidance — ranked by regulatory risk and user impact

Executive summary — compliance posture for board, audit committee, or regulator review

* All findings are reproducible and evidence-backed. Reports are structured for use in regulatory submissions, procurement qualification, legal proceedings, and internal governance.

Accessibility Audit ServicesAudit Advisory & Governance

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact Us

Team members collaborating on accessibility compliance

Validate Your Platforms Against IS 17802 Standards

Assess your websites, apps, and digital systems against IS 17802 and WCAG through audit-grade evaluation, issue mapping, and implementation-ready reporting.

Or View Audit Methodology