Meet Brahmananda Sharma, the first visually impaired judge of Rajasthan

Brahmananda Sharma uses technology to help him deliver judgments. Photo Courtesy: Twitter

There are times when you just want to give up because things are hard. You evaluate your weakness and think you are too small to achieve big things. Let's be honest. All of us have felt this way one time or the other. And if you are going through that phase right now, then you ought to read the story of Brahmananda Sharma. Most probably you've not heard of him. So, for your information--he is the first visually impaired judge of Rajasthan. Since 31-year-old Sharma has to go through court proceedings in order to deliver judgments, he does so by listening to the recordings.

Sharma lost his eyesight at the age of 22 due to glaucoma. However, he did not give up on his dreams. He worked hard and ended up becoming a civil judge and judicial magistrate of Sarwar town of Ajmer district.

Coming from a small town named Bhilwara in Rajasthan, he studied at a government school. He appeared for Rajasthan Judicial Services Examination in 2013 and secured 83rd rank in the first attempt itself. After completing a year's training advised by the Rajasthan High Court he joined the service in 2016. He worked in Chittorgarh for some time before moving to Sarwar this year.

After completing a year's training advised by the Rajasthan High Court he joined the service in 2016. Photo: Shutterstock/ IndiaPicture

"Many a times, I sense that advocates and their clients are skeptical and even wonder if a visually impaired man can ensure justice. They seem to forget that even the eyes of the woman of justice are covered. I do justice weighing the facts and merits of a case, just the way it should be," says Sharma in an interview to the Times of India.

If you are wondering how he manages to go through the notes, allow us to enlighten you. He connects an e-speak device to a computer. It ultimately converts the notes made by the reader into speech. "When an advocate approaches my court with a petition, I ask him to read the plaint as well as the attached documents. His voice is enough for me to judge his authenticity," he continues.

Sharma is a classic example of how determination can take you to places and disability doesn't define your life.