Nine acid attack survivors have petitioned the Supreme Court of India, seeking directions to the central government to establish guidelines for an inclusive digital Know Your Customer (KYC) process, accommodating acid attack survivors and individuals with permanent eye damage.

Citing their personal ordeals, where they endured "indignity and humiliation," the petitioners stated that they faced multiple obstacles with different regulatory authorities and public and private establishments in different sectors to access basic financial and telecommunication services.

According to the petitioners, numerous acid attack victims with enduring eye disfigurement and those facing similar challenges are impeded from procuring SIM cards or independently opening bank accounts. They encounter unnecessary difficulties, the plea mentioned.

According to the plea, one of the petitioners resorted to purchasing a SIM card under her spouse's name as she couldn't complete the digital KYC process, which required her to blink — a task she couldn't perform due to her condition.

The plea pointed out that these accessibility barriers inhibit acid attack survivors from accessing essential goods and services, which are essential to leading a life with dignity, autonomy, and equality, and participating in day-to-day life.

Despite multiple appeals for offline or physical KYC methods, both public and private entities have failed to address the survivors' concerns, the petitioners said.

The plea entails the following directives sought from the court:

  • The Central Government should devise fresh guidelines enabling alternative methods for digital KYC for acid attack survivors and similarly affected individuals.
  • All entities conducting digital KYC processes must implement these guidelines effectively and formulate organizational policies to accommodate alternative methods.
  • The Central Government should expand or clarify the interpretation of "live photograph" to encompass alternative criteria beyond eye blinking, such as facial movements or voice recognition.
  • Reserve Bank of India (RBI) should amend or introduce alternatives for satisfying the "live photo" requirement.
  • Government bodies like RBI, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) should instruct regulated entities, including banks, financial institutions, and service providers, to establish account-based relationships or provide financial and telecommunication services using alternative KYC methods that don't necessitate eye blinking.
  • RBI, SEBI, and TRAI should mandate organizations conducting KYC to adopt offline or physical procedures for survivors unable to blink for digital KYC.
  • Sensitization programs should be conducted for entities conducting digital KYC to aid acid attack survivors and similarly affected individuals in accessing banking, telecommunication, and financial services.

These acid attack survivors, with prayers for inclusivity, have approached the top court through Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra, Advocate Anmol Kheta and Advocate Nitin Saluja.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the LatestLaws staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed)

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