Accessibility workstations and the vulnerable witness rooms in the Delhi High Court and district courts in the national capital will be utilised as room for the accused persons with disabilities to attend hybrid hearings.
The direction has come from Acting Chief Justice Manmohan in terms of a judgment of a single judge which directed the Delhi Government to provide infrastructure and financial assistance for procuring essential electronic gadgets for conducting trials in cases where the accused person is differently-abled.
“…the Acting Chief Justice of this Court has been pleased to direct that the infrastructure of accessibility workstations in the e-Sewa Kendras, set up in this Court and all the Delhi District Courts in addition to the Vulnerable Witness Rooms, be utilised as the room for the accused Persons with Disabilities to attend the hybrid hearings in various Courts in Delhi,” a circular said.
The circular was issued by the Registrar General, Kanwal Jeet Arora on April 29.
In August last year, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma directed the Secretary of DSLSA to frame a scheme for the benefit of accused persons with disabilities for their communication and better understanding of cases and proceedings before acquiring the latest assistive technology.
While noting that there are special rooms and facilities available for vulnerable witnesses in court complexes, the court had said that there are no such rooms for the accused persons with disabilities.
It thus observed that a room can be dedicated to such accused persons having all needful assistive technology or other facilities in accordance with their specific needs.
Article Credit: livelaw