In a first, a visually challenged woman all set to become a judge in Kerala

Thanya Nathan C. makes history as Kerala's first visually challenged woman set to become a judge, breaking barriers in the judiciary.

Thanya Nathan C., lawyer, will shortly enter the annals of Kerala’s judicial history as the first visually challenged woman judge.

Ms. Nathan, who is totally blind, was ranked first on the merit list of persons with benchmark disabilities in the recently held judicial service examination for the selection of Civil Judges (Junior Division) in the Kerala Judicial Service. Joyson Sajan, with cerebral palsy, came second.

It was a landmark judgment by a Supreme Court Bench consisting of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan in 2025, which noted that “visually impaired candidates cannot be said to be ‘not suitable’ for judicial service and they are eligible to participate in selection for posts in judicial service,” that paved the way for Ms. Nathan to become a judge.

The Bench had held that people with disabilities “should not face any discrimination in their pursuit of judicial service opportunities, and instead, there should be affirmative action on behalf of the State to provide an inclusive framework,” and no candidate shall be denied “consideration solely on account of their disability.”

Thanya Nathan C.

"This should probably be for the first time that a candidate with visual disability is clearing the judicial service examination in Kerala. It’s not known whether such candidates had earlier applied for the post. Currently, there are no visually challenged judges in Kerala,” judicial sources said.