[blindLaw] An empowering encounter

[Rahul Bajaj]

 an empowering encounter

Last Wednesday, I had the honour of being invited for an event organised in honour of Justice Ravindra Bhat, judge, Supreme Court of India, to celebrate his judicial career. At the event, I ran into former Chief Justice of India UU Lalit, for whom I had interned in January 2017. On seeing me, he recalled how he had first gotten introduced to me when I had asked an incisive question in a lecture he had come to deliver in my college, how I had then gone to  intern for him. Until that time, the Supreme Court had not had a blind intern and all files were only available in hard copy form, as a general rule. Justice Lalit recounted how he had then spoken with then Chief Justice of India JS Khehar about my situation and the format I needed to access files in. Justice Khehar had stated that, while it won’t be possible to make all files accessible at that time, the court registry could be directed to make five new files available in accessible formats each day which the court registry had then done.

I took away three things from this chance encounter with Chief Justice Lalit. First, the importance of grabbing every opportunity that comes your way, howsoever small. Second, how one needs to negotiate access arrangements that help you get the job done without imposing an undue burden on the system. While, of course, trying to gradually change the system itself, so such needs can be normalized. And, third, the importance of having leaders who understand the importance of going the extra mile to provide additional support to those who need it.

Rahul


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