Decision in mother tongue is a good initiative of the court

After Independence It was the dream of every Indian that there should be communication through the mother tongue in all the organs of the government. Government customs and policies should be understandable in his language. There was an aspiration that the general public should get justice in their own language. The question should be asked that who is responsible for this darkness of the system in the share of the common man? Why can’t we get justice and medicine and medicines in our language? Since independence, language has been a major obstacle in the path of easy access to justice for the common man. It was the aspiration of the countrymen that when the country would be free from English slavery, they would get an opportunity to actively participate in the judicial process through their mother tongue.
In a country battling with illiteracy, it was all the more necessary that judicial decisions could be easily understood by the common people in their mother tongue. However, in the amritkal of independence, this news is reassuring that now man will be able to get court decisions in Hindi and other languages. Recently, Chief Justice Justice D.Y. When Chandrachud talked about making the court’s decisions available in Hindi and other Indian languages, the whole country welcomed it. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded positively to the move. It can be said that the common man has got a gift before the Republic Day.
The announcement was made by the Chief Justice during the conference of the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa. He believed that the help of artificial intelligence would be taken in this campaign, so that the decisions of the apex court could be translated into Hindi and other languages. It is noteworthy that after taking over as the Chief Justice last year, Justice D.Y. It has been Chandrachud’s endeavor that the common man has easy access to justice. In the same sequence, he also realized that the language barrier is a big challenge in the way of justice being accessible to the common man. He believed that justice will prove to be meaningful in its purpose only when the judgments are available in the language understood by the litigants and the defendants. In fact, after independence, it was mentioned in the constitution that the language of the Supreme Court and High Courts will remain English till the final arrangement is made by the Parliament. The irony is that due to the linguistic complexities of the country and the challenge of politics associated with it, no serious initiative has been taken. On the other hand, it is a good thing that artificial intelligence is being talked about to make the path of justice easier, due to which, over time, better use of technological potential can be made in bridging the information gap and removing the language barrier. It is a matter of law that justice should be available in the language which people can understand. In fact, the litigants who do not know English language, they do not understand these decisions properly. It is quite possible that some advocates would also have to face such difficulties. It may be that sometimes the orders of the court create a complicated situation due to linguistic blunder, which cannot be said to be a pleasant situation for the real purpose of justice.
Court orders in Haryana will now be available in Hindi language. Undoubtedly, now the common man will not have to puzzle over the decisions to understand them. Understanding justice is also an indispensable condition of justice. After this initiative of Haryana Government, even less educated people will be able to understand judicial decisions easily. Indeed, our judicial terminology, which follows the British system, has its own complexities. Which is further complicated by the language barrier. The common man has been in need of a translator to understand the judicial orders, due to which his struggle to get justice becomes very expensive. In fact, the Haryana Government had issued a notification regarding the use of Hindi language in the courts and tribunals subordinate to the Punjab and Haryana High Court for purposes under the sections of the Haryana Official Language (Amendment) Act, 2020. Which has been approved by Governor Bandaru Dattatreya. Now these rules will be effective from April 1, 2023. Due to which now the orders of the court will be available in Hindi. Undoubtedly, this initiative of the Haryana Government is important for the convenience of the common man. If they start getting justice in the language which people use in common speech, then it proves the significance of justice. Along with this, the plaintiff-defendant will be able to actively become eyewitnesses in the judicial process.
In this direction, the institutional initiative by the NDA government to conduct engineering and medical studies in Hindi and other Indian languages ​​is a commendable step. In future, such efforts will be needed in law and other branches as well. Hindi speaking people should play a leading role in making it successful. Along with higher education and technical education, the effort to irrigate mother tongues in the National Education Policy is also welcome. Undoubtedly, thinking, writing and reading in the mother tongue will develop the fundamental talent of the students. Linguistic speed breakers will not be able to stop their progress. The prestige of Hindi and other languages ​​will be established only when its speakers play a constructive role.
Undoubtedly, this is an important time for Hindi when the governments are making efforts for its promotion at the central and state level. Hindi is really the need of the hour. Even though Hindi is not spoken in the whole country, but it is understood and this understanding can work to unite the country. It is clear that Hindi has a wider base, a wider range of concerns and a wider reach. There is a need for awareness and activism of Hindi speakers so that Hindi can get prestige in the practical world. Hindi can become the language of knowledge, education and employment. Overall, the artificially created inferiority complex regarding Hindi should end. So that the prestige of Hindi and Indian languages ​​can be established in the country over time. Then it can be said that Hindi is not only the language of the poor, the deprived and the backward.
Now crores of people will get benefit from the initiative of the Supreme Court. On the other hand, providing accurate and comprehensible translation of the decisions of the apex court will also be a challenge. To avoid any such discrepancy, it is necessary that modern technology and foolproof software should be used. However, the initiative of the judiciary to respect the linguistic diversity of India and be sensitive to the inconvenience faced by the common people should be welcomed.
Immediate initiative towards its implementation is also necessary. Similarly, in September last year, the apex court made a meaningful effort to bring court proceedings into the public domain by introducing live-streaming of its constitution bench hearings. The Chief Justice believed that this would help law teachers and students to discuss issues of legal education. Along with this, they will also be able to become aware of the practical aspects of court work. This is the reason why the Prime Minister and the Central Government have responded positively to the initiative of the Supreme Court.
Dr. O.P. Tripathi