In a first, the Supreme Court of India heard a case argued by a deaf lawyer with the help of a sign language interpreter on Friday.
Advocate Sara Sunny made history after participating in the court’s virtual proceedings with the help of Indian Sign Language (ISL) interpreter Saurav Roychowdhury.
At first, the moderator of the virtual courtroom didn’t allow the interpreter to keep his video turned on for the entire duration of the proceeding. However, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud granted permission for both Sunny and Roychowdhury to appear on screen, stating, "Of course, the interpreter can join the proceedings. No problem,” according to Live Law.
Sunny’s appearance in the virtual court was arranged by Advocate on Record Sanchita Ain. According to Live Law, the interpreter’s speed impressed the attendees of the proceedings, including Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who said, “The speed at which the interpreter is interpreting in sign language is amazing.”
CJI Chandrachud’s efforts to ensure equal access to justice is not new. Last year, he called for a accessibility audit of the Supreme Court to understand the challenges faced by specially-abled people in their interactions with the court and to make the system more accessible for them.
He has also actively advocated for the transformation of courts in the country to become a more inclusive environment for lawyers with disabilities.
“The open mind of the CJI has set an example and opened doors for specially-abled persons…Though this time I was not there for the argument of the case, Advocate Sanchita wanted to open doors for me to get an experience of the Supreme Court and to prove that a specially-abled person is not behind,” Sunny told Live Law.
"The significance of this moment ties in with the challenges that remain on the path to true inclusivity and accessibility within the Indian legal system," Ain said while speaking to NDTV.
On Sunday, the Supreme Court also used sign language interpreters at its two-day national stakeholders consultation on child protection. For the first time, the invitations for the same were issued in Braille to help visually-impaired people.
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