Overview
The push for Supreme Court to provide continuous ISL interpretation has hit practical road‑blocks. After a landmark hearing in September 2023 where a deaf lawyer could follow proceedings via a live video feed, advocates report that systematic barriers persist, making courtroom access for hearing‑impaired professionals uneven and cumbersome.
Key Developments
- In September 2023, Advocate-on-Record Sanchita Ain petitioned a bench headed by former CJI D.Y. Chandrachud to keep the ISL interpreter’s video feed visible throughout the hearing for advocate Sarah Sunny.
- Despite the initial success, subsequent requests for interpreters have been described as “tedious” and often denied, forcing deaf lawyers to rely on live transcription, which they consider inadequate.
- In 2024, Ms. Sunny was asked to leave a Bengaluru courtroom even though she wore a lawyer’s gown and had arranged her own interpreter, highlighting institutional resistance.
- Ms. Sunny’s participation in events like “Justice Unplugged” (a collaboration between The Hindu and VIT Chennai) depends on prior confirmation of live interpretation services.
Important Facts
- Access to legal spaces for deaf professionals often hinges on advance confirmation of interpretation services.
- Judges and court staff frequently lack awareness of sign‑language services, leading to repeated explanations by deaf advocates.
- Live transcription cannot substitute for ISL interpretation due to differences in language structure and real‑time nuance.
- Accessibility remains a constitutional right, yet courtrooms are still largely non‑accessible for persons with disabilities.
- Ms. Ain is developing a legal thesaurus to address terminology gaps.
UPSC Relevance
Understanding the challenges faced by deaf lawyers touches upon multiple UPSC syllabus areas: the constitutional guarantee of disability right (GS2), the functioning and reforms of the Supreme Court (GS2), and broader themes of inclusive governance and ethical administration (GS4).
Way Forward
- Institutionalize mandatory ISL interpreter presence in all higher courts through clear guidelines from the Ministry of Law and Justice.
- Conduct regular sensitisation workshops for judges, court staff, and lawyers on disability rights and sign‑language protocols.
- Adopt technology‑enabled solutions, such as real‑time video‑relay interpreting platforms, to reduce logistical delays.
- Accelerate the creation and dissemination of the ISL legal thesaurus to standardise legal terminology for deaf practitioners.
- Monitor compliance through periodic audits and a grievance redressal mechanism dedicated to accessibility issues.
Embedding these measures will help transform courtroom accessibility from a sporadic accommodation into a routine constitutional guarantee.