Unblinking Obligation for Bank KYC Procedure Leads to Remarkable Supreme Court Decision
Title: Revolutionizing Digital Access in India: The Supreme Court Verdict for Inclusion
New Delhi has witnessed a groundbreaking turning point! The Supreme Court's historic judgment on July 12, 2025, enlightens us that digital access is indispensable to the right to life, and this ruling came following the persistent, valiant battle led by acid attack survivor, Pragya Prasun. Her inability to blink, which hindered her from opening a bank account, became a paramount concern sparking a massive legal battle.
Pragya Prasun faced an insurmountable challenge while trying to open a bank account at ICICI bank. The bank staff mandated her to blink her eyes for a live photograph, a requirement of the Reserve Bank of India regulated Know-Your-Customer (KYC) process, which can only be authenticated through matching with a standard photograph. Unfortunately, due to the acid attack injuries, Pragya Prasun was unable to blink.
As social media erupted with indignation, a bank executive agreed to make an exception for Pragya, but she wasn't content. She understood the struggles faced by millions of others in similar situations and decided to take action.
Pragya's problems didn't end with the bank, though. She faced the same trouble purchasing a SIM card. She was again asked to blink, but this time, she had no choice but to buy a SIM card in her spouse's name.
In response to Pragya's plight, legal action was taken, clubbed with similar petitions by individuals battling KYC verification issues due to visual problems. The court’s judgment acknowledges the barriers and indignities faced by disabled individuals in accessing online services, owing to the lack of accessible websites, poor connectivity, insufficient digital literacy, and scarce content in regional languages.
Empathetically feeling the distress of marginalized populations, the court declared that the State must shoulder the responsibility to create an inclusive and responsive digital ecosystem that caters to the diverse needs of all segments of society. Bridging the digital divide is now a constitutional imperative to ensure a life of dignity, autonomy, and equal participation in public life.
Justice Mahadevan, who penned the compelling order, expressed the urgent need to secure a comprehensive, inclusive right to digital access as an integral component of the right to life and liberty. To achieve this, the court has mandated revisions in the existing eKYC (electronic Know Your Customer) norms, implementation of accessibility standards across government portals, learning platforms, and fintech services, and the designing of alternative KYC methods that do not rely solely on facial recognition or physical signatures. Public awareness and education are essential to ensure these services are utilized effectively by vulnerable groups.
By paving the way for digital inclusion, India demonstrates an unwavering commitment to human rights and dignity, ultimately opening up infinite possibilities for those who were once excluded from the digital world.
- Pragya Prasun, an acid attack survivor, necessitated a change in the Know-Your-Customer (KYC) process due to her inability to blink, which became a focal point in a legal battle for digital access rights.
- The Supreme Court's landmark judgment on July 12, 2025, proved that digital access is vital to the right to life, a ruling that resulted from Pragya's impairment and subsequent struggle to open a bank account.
- The court's order highlighted the need for policy and legislation changes, particularly in the area of health-and-wellness, mental health, and general news, to create an inclusive digital ecosystem catering to diverse needs and bridging the digital divide.
- Justice Mahadevan, in his compelling order, emphasized the importance of secure, comprehensive, and inclusive right to digital access as a crucial component of the right to life and liberty.
- This Supreme Court verdict, centering around Pragya and her struggles, decisively propelled India into the forefront of human rights and digital inclusion, opening doors for infinite possibilities in science, health-and-wellness, mental health, policy-and-legislation, and politics.
