The Delhi High Court has issued a circular stating that the services of four individuals can be temporarily employed as sign language interpreters in both the High Court and district courts in Delhi until a permanent panel of interpreters is appointed.

The circular has established a fee of Rs 7,500 per day for each case.

"For the information of all concerned, it is hereby notified that, based on the recommendations of the Information Technology and Accessibility Committee, the Honorable Chief Justice of this court has authorized the temporary utilization of the services of the following individuals as sign language interpreters in this court and the Delhi District Courts. This interim arrangement will be in place until the finalization of a comprehensive panel of sign language interpreters. The interpreters will be granted a payment of Rs 7,500 per day per case." This directive is outlined in the circular issued by Joint Registrar (Judicial) Abhilash Malhotra.

The services of the following four individuals will be utilized: Saurav Roychowdhury, Atul Kumar, Shivoy Sharma, and Manisha Sharma.

In a significant move aimed at improving access to justice for individuals with disabilities, the high court took the pioneering step in September of engaging sign language interpreters. This was done to facilitate the understanding of court proceedings for individuals who are hearing-impaired.

During this process, two sign language interpreters were positioned near the judge's podium. They conveyed the court proceedings to the individuals with hearing impairments through their sign language interpretation. This took place in a case related to making films accessible to individuals who have visual or hearing impairments.

Read/Download Notice: appointment of sign language interpreters