SC Opens Doors For Visually Impaired Candidates In Judiciary; Legal Fraternity Hails Move As Step Towards Inclusivity

Supreme Court of India

In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court recently opened up the doors for visually impaired candidates in judiciary by striking down discriminatory provisions in certain state judicial service rules.

The judgement was delivered by bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan by striking down the rules which stopped visually impaired candidates’ recruitment into judicial services solely because of their physical disabilities.

The judgement has been welcomed by the legal fraternity.

Justice A.N. Mittal, former Chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh Law Commission, said that this verdict paves the way for differently-abled individuals to join the judiciary.

He further said that with modern technology, such as Braille script, visually impaired persons have excelled in various fields, including science and engineering

There is no reason why they should be barred from serving as judges, he said.

He noted: ‘Their inner vision and intellectual acumen make them highly capable of delivering just and reasoned judgments.’

Justice Ravindra Singh, former judge of Allahabad High Court also commended the decision of the Supreme Court.

He said: ‘SC rightly ruled that visually impaired individuals must be allowed to sit for judicial service examinations and, upon qualifying, be appointed as judges. This judgment ensures that no deserving candidate is deprived of their fundamental rights based on a physical disability.’