look news india
In the historic judgment given on Wednesday, the Supreme Court declared digital reach as Fundamental Rights under Article 21 of the Constitution. Along with this, the Supreme Court has issued several important guidelines to simplify the Knowing (KYC) process for the acid attack victims and visually impaired people.
A bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan gave the verdict after hearing two PILs filed on the subject.
The court has said that the central government has to ensure that compulsory processes like digital processes, especially KYC are accessible to all. The KYC process should also be made accessible to acid attack victims, people with distorted faces or visually impaired for any other reason.
This right has been ensured under Article 21 (Right to Life and Personal Freedom), Article 14 (Right to Equality) and Article 15 (Protection from discrimination) of the Constitution. The court specifically stated that the right to digital access is an integral part of the right to life under Article 21.
A bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan said that KYC processes need change so that the disabled persons, especially acid attack victims and visually impaired people do not face any difficulty in completing the process.
The court has issued 20 instructions in its judgment, including technical and policy changes to make digital KYC and e-KYC processes more inclusive.
This decision has brought relief to millions of people who were deprived of digital services due to disability or facial deformity. This order of the Supreme Court indicates extensive changes in the KYC process and also ensures that the dream of Digital India is actually equally accessible to all.
Currently, a detailed decision of the Supreme Court is awaited. However, the court has indicated that these instructions will be widely effective and the government will have to ensure their implementation.
