LI Network
Published on: October 20, 2023 at 11:16 IST
In a move to facilitate access to justice for differently-abled individuals, the Delhi High Court issued a circular on Thursday, authorizing the provisional use of sign language interpreters in both the High Court and district courts until a formal panel of interpreters is established. The fee for their services has been set at Rs 7,500 per day, as outlined in the circular.
The circular, issued by Joint Registrar (Judicial) Abhilash Malhotra, conveyed the decision by Hon’ble the Chief Justice of the court, based on the recommendations of the Information Technology and Accessibility Committee.
It specified that until a comprehensive panel of sign language interpreters is finalized, the services of the following individuals can be employed on a provisional basis for sign language interpretation in the High Court and Delhi District Courts.
The four individuals chosen for this role are Saurav Roychowdhury, Atul Kumar, Shivoy Sharma, and Manisha Sharma.
This initiative aims to improve access to justice for individuals with hearing impairments. In September, the High Court took an unprecedented step by engaging sign language interpreters for the first time.
These interpreters were stationed at the podium near the judge, where they translated court proceedings into sign language, enabling those with hearing impairments to follow the case related to making films accessible to individuals with visual or hearing impairments.