Thanya Nathan C., a lawyer who is completely blind, is set to become Kerala’s first visually challenged woman judge. She ranked first among candidates with benchmark disabilities in the recent Kerala Judicial Service exam for Civil Judges (Junior Division). Joyson Sajan, who has cerebral palsy, secured second place. A 2025 Supreme Court ruling by Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan cleared the way for this by stating 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." The ruling emphasized that people with disabilities "should not face any discrimination in their pursuit of judicial service opportunities," and the State must ensure an inclusive framework. According to judicial sources, this is likely the first time a visually challenged person has cleared this exam in Kerala. Currently, there are no visually challenged judges in the state. The Kerala High Court has completed the selection process and sent the list to the government for appointment. Ms. Nathan, 24, ranked first in her LLB exams from Kannur University despite having no light perception. She started legal practice in Kannur under senior lawyer K.G. Sunilkumar. She shared with The Hindu, "My senior and a few others encouraged me to take the recruitment exam, and the Supreme Court verdict came in as the right support. I studied law using texts with the Braille system. Now, technology has come to the aid of people like me, where screen-reading software help us read texts." She prepared her legal notes in Braille and remains confident about overcoming challenges such as accessing old documents and courtroom accessibility. Ms. Nathan does not use a white cane and navigates independently. Her appointment will require Kerala’s judiciary to improve accessibility in courtrooms, offices, and chambers for people with disabilities, say sources.