Daijiworld Media Network - Raipur

Raipur, Mar 27: The Chhattisgarh High Court has ruled that statements recorded with the assistance of a sign language interpreter are legally valid and can be relied upon to convict an accused.

The observation was made while upholding the life sentence of a man convicted of sexually assaulting a physically challenged woman. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal dismissed the appeal against a trial court verdict delivered in March 2023.

The court noted that the trial court had taken appropriate measures to facilitate the survivor’s testimony. When she faced difficulty understanding certain questions, the court used visual aids, including a plastic doll, and allowed a sign language interpreter to assist her.

The judges held that such assistance does not diminish the evidentiary value of the testimony but instead enables the survivor to communicate clearly and accurately.

Emphasising inclusivity in the justice system, the court stated that a person’s inability to hear or speak does not invalidate their testimony. Statements made through sign language, with proper interpretation, can form the basis of conviction, it added.

The court also observed that there was no indication of any mental incapacity affecting the survivor’s ability to understand or describe the incident. Her statements and gestures were found to be consistent with the FIR and earlier police statements, in which she identified the accused, her brother-in-law.