Supreme Court Pushes for Inclusive Digital KYC for Persons with Disabilities

The Supreme Court has issued 20 directives to make digital KYC processes accessible for people with disabilities. The order includes guidelines for visual and hearing impairments, requiring alternative verification methods and accessible services. Authorities must ensure compliance through audits and appoint nodal officers for oversight.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a landmark directive aimed at transforming the digital KYC process to accommodate individuals with disabilities. With 20 corrective instructions in place, the court seeks to remove barriers faced by people who have visual disabilities or facial disfigurements.

The bench, including Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, emphasized the need for compliance across public and private entities. Regulating authorities are to adhere to evolving accessibility standards, ensuring that the disabled community is not disenfranchised during the digital identification process.

The Reserve Bank of India has been tasked with formulating alternative methods for KYC verification beyond the traditional approaches. Furthermore, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has been directed to amend specific notifications to support paper-based KYC procedures, alongside digital improvements. The verdict follows concerns raised by acid attack survivors and visually impaired individuals.

(With inputs from agencies.)