LI NETWORK
Supreme Court judge Justice DY Chandrachud has written to the High Courts to make the infrastructure of the courts accessible to lawyers and litigants with disabilities.
Justice Chandrachud said that strengthening the digital infrastructure will help litigants and lawyers with disabilities to be on par with others in the profession.
Also the Chairperson of the e-Committee of the apex court, Justice Chandrachud said that the lawyers and litigants with disabilities have the right to equality under Article 14 of the Constitution.
They also have the right to practice any profession under Article 19(1)(g) of the Indian Constitution.
“I request you to undertake these steps with a sense of urgency,” said Justice Chandrachud in the letter to the Chief Justices of the High Courts.
He said, “Until recently, it was not possible for the blind to independently access the website due to the visual captcha. This is a significant step which has been taken by the Supreme Court.”
He further said, “First, the onus to make filings accessible cannot be placed on disabled lawyers. This would be much like serving a file to an able-bodied lawyer in a foreign language and placing the onus on them to translate it into English.”
“Instead, we must ensure that we institutionalise systems that embed accessibility for all times to come. Second, instead of requiring a disabled lawyer to seek case-by-case intervention, or having a separate system just for them, we have to ensure that existing filing practices are reconfigured to take account of their needs.”
The letter said:
“I am sure that with your personal intervention, persons with disabilities will be able to find an accessible court environment. I earnestly request you to ensure that steps are taken in that direction both by the High Court and by the district judiciary.”