Need to teach law in regional languages: CJI

Satya Prakash

New Delhi, July 13

Emphasising the need to make law and legal education accessible to millions of Indian citizens, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Saturday said universities should come together to prepare teaching modules in regional languages.

Addressing the 3rd Convocation at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University (RMLNLU), Lucknow, the CJI said a survey of 81 universities and colleges recently conducted by the Research Department of the Supreme Court found that the common people faced difficulties in understanding various schemes relating to their rights due to their inability to understand English.

Justice Chandrachud, however, sought to reiterate that English should not be done away with as a medium of instruction for legal education and that regional languages should also be adopted. He suggested that legal theories and procedures can be explained to students and the common man through informative videos prepared in regional languages.

“In many countries across the world, both legal education and legal proceedings are conducted in the regional language, ensuring that all citizens can not only access the legal system but also aspire to be lawyers and judges.” “It is only when we teach core principles of law to our students efficiently while acquainting them with the local context and local legal terms, that we can create socially responsible lawyers in the future, who can truly understand the issues and concerns of the local community,” the CJI said.

“I often discuss with my colleagues and all educationists of the country as to how the study of law can be taught in simple language. As such, there are certain rules and basic principles in different provisions of the Constitution. We teach those principles well in English, but we often find ourselves uncomfortable explaining those principles in regional languages,” Justice Chandrachud said.

“If we are not able to explain the principles of law to the general public in simple language, then it shows the lack of legal profession and legal education. This affects the common citizens, especially the weaker section of society,” said the CJI who has taken initiatives for making available the top court’s judgments in Hindi and other regional languages.

“When I came to Allahabad, after spending my life in Mumbai as a judge at the Bombay High Court, it was culturally different for me. The proceedings in Bombay High Court are in English, and I found that before the Allahabad High Court, local lawyers would often start presenting their case in Hindi. It made me realise the potential of lawyers to present their case efficiently even in their local language,” Justice Chandrachud said.