Sarah Sunny made history last week when she became the first deaf attorney in India to argue before the Supreme Court.
The court made an exception and permitted the 27-year-old’s sign language interpreter to join in on the arguments when she first appeared before Chief Justice DY Chandrachud in September.
So that “she could understand what was going on in court,” the court assigned its first ever translator on October 6.
“In fact, we are thinking that for the constitution bench hearings we will have an interpreter so that everyone can follow the proceedings,” Justice Chandrachud said.
The inclusion of Ms Sunny in India’s supreme court has been heralded as a step towards making the country’s judicial system more accessible to the deaf community.
It was a “truly historic and momentous” event, senior lawyer Menaka Guruswamy remarked.
Attorney Sanchita Ain, with whom Ms Sunny works, told the BBC that her efforts would be beneficial in the long run. “She has broken many stereotypes, this will encourage more deaf students to study law and make the legal system accessible to the deaf,” she said.
It’s been two years since Ms Sunny started her legal career.
The judges in the city’s lower courts denied her request for an interpreter, she claimed, because they were concerned she would not grasp the legal jargon being used. Therefore, she decided to make her case in writing.
Although he is not a lawyer, Ms Sarah’s interpreter, Saurav Roychowdhury, has experience working with solicitors and law students. He has also represented deaf attorneys in two matters before the Delhi High Court.
However, at the present time there is no Indian sign language interpreter who has received specialised training in legal terms.
Ms Sunny expressed her satisfaction with her progress to the BBC. “I wanted to show those who are cannot hear that if I can do it, they can also do it.”
Ms Sunny was born in the city of Bengaluru. Maria Sunny, one of her twin sisters, and Pratik Kuruvilla, her brother, are also both deaf. Ms Maria is a chartered accountant, and Mr Kuruvilla is a software engineer who teaches at a deaf school in Texas.
Their parents opposed sending their kids to special education facilities for the deaf. Finding a place that was willing to take in the three siblings was hard, but they eventually found the right place for them.
MsSunny studied with the help of her classmates and by lip reading. “There were also others who made fun of me but I always argued with them,” she said.
Ms Sunny attended St. Joseph’s College in Bengalore to pursue a degree in law. Her mother, who had previously helped her with schoolwork, was unable to assist her with her legal class. Ms Sunny, on the other hand, claimed she had family and friends who encouraged her.
She passed the bar test in 2021 and started working as an attorney.
She expressed appreciation to her parents for “putting us through education in a normal school because they believe in equality” and for treating all three of their children with fairness.
“That’s what gave me the confidence to follow my dreams.”
The paucity of interpreters in courts and the associated stigma against the deaf make it difficult for deaf people to pursue legal careers, according to experts.
The Delhi High Court made history on April 17 by admitting a deaf lawyer, Saudamini Pethe, to a case. She, too, needed to bring an interpreter, just like Ms Sunny.
After another deaf lawyer requested two sign language experts, one for lawyers and one for judges, the high court said in September that it would begin selecting its own interpreters.
Renuka Rameshan, president of ASLI, told the BBC that this was done so that lawyers and judges would have an easier time following the proceedings.
Ms Ain noted that the development of a legal thesaurus in Indian sign language would be a great boon to deaf lawyers and litigants, and she confirmed that this was an active area of research.
The interpreter, Mr Roychowdhury, speculated that “the deaf will realise that they also have an equal right under the law” in light of the court’s judgement.
According to the 2011 Indian Census, 18 million Indians are either deaf or hard of hearing. Mr Roychowdhury felt it was important to highlight sign language in order to guarantee deaf people’s access to services.
Employment prospects for interpreters will increase, he said, because of the growing need in the judicial system. “There are approximately 400-500 certified interpreters [in the country] but in reality only 40-50 are skilled, qualified and doing ethical work.”
IT employee and native sign language user Ranjini Ramanujam hailed the court’s decision as a “blessing” and “a barrier remover.” Ms Ramanujam, a former badminton player, received India’s second-highest sporting distinction in 1999.
“The Supreme Court’s move has given a voice to the deaf,” according to her. “The court has set an example for other offices to follow as well.”
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