Meet Sarah Sunny! The First Deaf and Mute Lawyer to Argue Before Supreme Court

Digital Desk: In a first, the Supreme Court of India heard a case on Friday that was presented by a lawyer who is deaf with the help of a sign language interpreter.

By participating in the court's virtual sessions with the help of Indian Sign Language (ISL) interpreter Saurav Roychowdhury, lawyer Sara Sunny created history.

The virtual courtroom moderator first refused to permit the interpreter to keep his video on during the proceedings. 

Although Sunny and Roychowdhury were both permitted to appear on screen, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud said, "Of course, the interpreter can join the proceedings. Nothing to worry about," Live Law reported.

Advocate on Record Sanchita Ain coordinated Sunny's presence at the virtual court. Observers at the hearings were reportedly amazed by the interpreter's pace, including Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who reportedly said, "The speed at which the interpreter is interpreting in sign language is amazing."

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It is not new for CJI Chandrachud to work to guarantee equal access to justice. In order to understand the difficulties that individuals with disabilities encounter when interacting with the court and to make the system more accessible for them, he demanded an accessibility audit of the Supreme Court last year.

Additionally, he has actively pushed for the reform of the nation's courts into a setting that is more inviting to lawyers with disabilities.

"The CJI has set an example and provided opportunities for people with disabilities by having an open attitude...Even though I wasn't present for the case's argument this time, Sanchita wanted to open doors for me to gain Supreme Court experience and demonstrate that a person with a disability is not behind, according to Sunny," who spoke to Live Law.

"The significance of this moment ties in with the challenges that remain on the path to true inclusivity and accessibility within the Indian legal system," Ain told NDTV in an interview.

On Sunday, the Supreme Court held a two-day nationwide stakeholders conference on child protection where sign language interpreters were also used. The invites for the event were sent out in Braille for the first time to assist those who are blind.