Supreme Court directs Registry to appoint sign-language interpreter for hearing-impaired lawyer

New Delhi, Oct 5: In a first of its kind, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed its Registry for appointment of a sign-language interpreter to assist a specially-abled lawyer in attending the court proceedings.

“There is a request for appointment of a sign-language interpreter. The Registry will take steps for appointing an interpreter as requested by the learned counsel for the appellants,” ordered Registrar Vivek Saxena.

Advocate-on-Record Sanchita Ain moved an application before the top court seeking a sign-language interpreter for her hearing-impaired colleague who will be joining the proceedings virtually from Bengaluru.

Consequently, she requested that the sign-language interpreter may also join the proceedings virtually whenever the matter is taken up for hearing.

“Registry will take action and it will be listed on October 6 before the Hon’ble Court,” said the Registrar of the Supreme Court.

Earlier in September, CJI D.Y. Chandrachud had permitted the same specially-abled lawyer to attend the court proceedings in Chief Justice’s court with the assistance of her own sign-language interpreter.

CJI Chandrachud had later said that such accessibility should have happened long back and it was a sobering experience for him when a lawyer with a hearing impairment attended proceedings with the assistance of a sign-language interpreter.