India News | Activists Laud Appointment of Sign Language Interpreter by Supreme Court
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The appointment of a sign language interpreter by the Supreme Court will make the judicial system more inclusive and accessible and ensure that every voice is heard, every word understood and every right upheld, according to disability rights activists.
New Delhi, Oct 6 (PTI) The appointment of a sign language interpreter by the Supreme Court will make the judicial system more inclusive and accessible and ensure that every voice is heard, every word understood and every right upheld, according to disability rights activists.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud on Friday announced the appointment of a sign language interpreter to help hearing-impaired lawyers and litigants to comprehend judicial proceedings. The CJI said he wanted to have a sign language interpreter for the Constitution bench hearings.
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Lauding the move, disability rights activist Satendra Singh said that with the appointment of a sign language interpreter, the Supreme Court reaffirms its commitment to a justice system where no one is left behind.
"Justice knows no bounds. Inclusive judicial proceedings ensure that every voice is heard, every word understood, and every right upheld," said Singh, professor at University College of Medical Sciences and GTB Hospital, Delhi.
Disability rights activist and executive director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People Arman Ali said it is a historic move and this will change the lives of people with disabilities, in particular the deaf community.
Muralidharan of the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled said the efforts of years of advocacy by various individuals and organisations have borne fruit.
"This will make the judicial system more inclusive and accessible. This should now percolate down to the lower levels of the judiciary," he said.
CJI Chandrachud, who is sensitive towards providing accessibility to justice delivery systems to the differently-abled, also constituted a Supreme Court committee on accessibility last year with the aim of ensuring accessibility and understanding the hardships faced by specially-abled persons.
Several infrastructural changes have been carried out on the top court premises to enhance accessibility for the specially-abled persons.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)