BREAKING| In A Historic First, Supreme Court Appoints Sign Language Interpreter For Deaf Lawyer

The Supreme Court on Friday appointed a sign language interpreter for deaf lawyer Sarah Sunny. Historically, the Supreme Court has never appointed an interpreter at its own expense.

"We have an interpreter today for Sarah. In fact, we are thinking that for the constitution bench hearings we will have an interpreter so that everyone can follow", Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said. The interpreter was seen in the virtual hearing window along with Advocate Sarah Sunny.

"This is truly historic and momentous. It shows the diversity in true sense in this court," Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy, who was incidentally present in the court, said.

The interpreter was seen interpreting the proceedings for Sarah, who was appearing virtually.  After the matter in which Sarah was appearing was taken, CJI told her, "Sarah, I hope this was intelligible to you and you were able to understand what was going on in the court.".

"Yes sir, she says it was very helpful." the interpreter replied.

Sarah's senior Advocate Sanchita Ain expressed gratitude to the CJI for arranging the interpreter.

"It is our elementary duty to have a more diverse environment.", CJI said.  "But Sarah, now you must start arguing your own matters." he added.

Sarah had earlier filed an application before the Supreme Court registry requesting a court-appointed Indian Sign Language (ISL) interpreter to assist her. The application was filed by Advocate-on-Record Sanchita Ain, who is Sunny's senior in the profession. Notably, Ain had previously arranged for the presence of an interpreter, Saurav Roychowdhury, to translate legal proceedings before the CJI's bench for Sunny.  

In an earlier conversation with LiveLaw, Advocate Ain had underscored the financial and logistical challenges that junior lawyers and newcomers to the legal profession often faced when attempting to secure the services of interpreters. She had explained that interpreters frequently charged by the hour and necessitated breaks after every 30-minute session. Consequently, to ensure a deaf lawyer's understanding of a case lasting an hour or more, two interpreters had to be employed, each billing on an hourly basis. This, she had stated, caused a significant financial burden on any lawyer needing an interpreter.

Taking a stride toward addressing these challenges, Ain formally filed an application with the Supreme Court Registrar under Order V Rule 11 of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013. This rule empowers the Registrar to exercise authority concerning applications for the appointment and approval of translators or interpreters.

The interview of Sarah Sunny published in 2022 can be read here.