The Supreme Court of India, in a hearing, addressed a writ petition (No. 785/2024) filed by Yash Dodani and others, seeking enhanced accessibility for visually impaired candidates in examinations conducted by the Bar Council of India ( BCI ). The bench comprised of Justices Surya Kant, Dipankar Datta, and Ujjal Bhuyan.
The petitioners, represented by advocate Rahul Bajaj and AOR Sanchita Ain, sought the option for visually impaired candidates to answer examination questions on a computer instead of relying solely on scribes. In a prior order dated December 5, 2024, the BCI was directed to implement several measures to improve accessibility for such candidates.
Complete Supreme Court Judgment on GST from 2017 to 2024 with Free E-Book Access, Click here
During the proceedings, the BCI, represented by Additional Solicitor General Mrs. Archana Pathak Dave and other counsel, stated that steps outlined in points (i), (ii), and (iii) of the earlier order were being implemented. However, concerns regarding point (iv)—allowing candidates to choose between answering on a computer or using a scribe—remained unresolved.
After hearing submissions, the Court clarified that visually impaired candidates must be given the option to answer examination questions using a computer, in addition to the existing scribe facility.
It further stipulated that candidates preferring to use scribes may continue to do so, but the scribes should neither belong to a humanities or law background nor possess qualifications higher than the candidate, as per Government of India guidelines dated August 29, 2018.
Complete Supreme Court Judgment on GST from 2017 to 2024 with Free E-Book Access, Click here
Thus, the BCI was directed to make all necessary arrangements to enable visually impaired candidates to answer questions on computers, should they choose this option.
The Supreme Court emphasized compliance with the directive to ensure inclusivity and empowerment of visually impaired candidates.
The matter has been adjourned to January 22, 2025, for further review of the progress.
Subscribe Taxscan Premium to view the JudgmentSupport our journalism by subscribing to Taxscan premium. Follow us on Telegram for quick updates
