India
Law education in regional languages can improve access to justice system: CJI | India News – Times of India
LUCK: Chief Justice of India Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud said on Saturday: law students should be well versed in regional languages and laws related to regional issues so that people’s access to the justice system can be improved.
Speaking at the third convocation of Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University in Lucknow, Justice DY Chandrachud stressed the importance of conveying legal education to state in plain language that this is currently a shortcoming in the legal profession.
Quoting an analysis by the Supreme Court’s research wing of 81 universities and colleges, the CJI said: “It has been found that common people face difficulty in understanding their rights and the schemes meant for them as they do not speak English.”
“This means that legal education at law universities is taught in English and students at legal aid centres are often unable to explain legal procedures to the general population in regional languages,” he said.
Justice Chandrachud said he was not blaming anyone or suggesting that English should be removed from legal education. He was only suggesting that regional languages should also be included.
The CJI further said, “Laws pertaining to regional issues should also be taught in our universities. Suppose a person from a village comes to the university or to the legal aid centre of the university and shares his land-related problem. If the student does not know the meaning of Khasra (land registration) and Khatauni (land registration document), how can the student help that person?”
“After coming to Uttar Pradesh, I realised how valuable land is to the people. I understood the meaning and importance of ‘taal’ and ‘talaiyaa’ (pond) in legal language,” he added.
“This is a country of diversity, some based on language, some based on region. In Uttar Pradesh, there are different dialects. In Lucknow, people speak Hindustani, while in eastern Uttar Pradesh they use Bhojpuri. This raises the question: how can values of justice and the Constitution reach the people,” he said.
Justice Chandrachud pointed out that though proceedings in higher courts are conducted in English, the people whose cases are heard often do not understand the arguments presented in court.
“As Chief Justice of India, I have given some guidelines through which the process of justice can be made easier for the common man. For example, several judgments which have been delivered in English are being translated into different languages which even the common man can understand,” he said
Elaborating further on the process of imparting legal education in simple language, the CJI said, “…in various provisions of the Constitution, there are some laws and basic principles. We teach those principles well in English but find it difficult to explain them in regional languages. If we cannot make the common man understand the principles of law in simple language, it is a shortcoming of education in the legal profession.”
He pointed out that many countries provide both legal education and legal procedures in the regional language, so that all citizens not only have access to the legal system but can also become lawyers or judges.
“Only if we efficiently teach our students the core principles of law while at the same time familiarising them with the local context and local legal terms, can we produce socially responsible lawyers in the future who truly understand the problems and concerns of the local community,” the CJI said.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Supreme Court Justice Vikram Nath, Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Arun Bhansali, judges of Allahabad High Court and RMLNLU Vice Chancellor Prof. Amar Pal Singh were present at the meeting.
Speaking at the third convocation of Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University in Lucknow, Justice DY Chandrachud stressed the importance of conveying legal education to state in plain language that this is currently a shortcoming in the legal profession.
Quoting an analysis by the Supreme Court’s research wing of 81 universities and colleges, the CJI said: “It has been found that common people face difficulty in understanding their rights and the schemes meant for them as they do not speak English.”
“This means that legal education at law universities is taught in English and students at legal aid centres are often unable to explain legal procedures to the general population in regional languages,” he said.
Justice Chandrachud said he was not blaming anyone or suggesting that English should be removed from legal education. He was only suggesting that regional languages should also be included.
The CJI further said, “Laws pertaining to regional issues should also be taught in our universities. Suppose a person from a village comes to the university or to the legal aid centre of the university and shares his land-related problem. If the student does not know the meaning of Khasra (land registration) and Khatauni (land registration document), how can the student help that person?”
“After coming to Uttar Pradesh, I realised how valuable land is to the people. I understood the meaning and importance of ‘taal’ and ‘talaiyaa’ (pond) in legal language,” he added.
“This is a country of diversity, some based on language, some based on region. In Uttar Pradesh, there are different dialects. In Lucknow, people speak Hindustani, while in eastern Uttar Pradesh they use Bhojpuri. This raises the question: how can values of justice and the Constitution reach the people,” he said.
Justice Chandrachud pointed out that though proceedings in higher courts are conducted in English, the people whose cases are heard often do not understand the arguments presented in court.
“As Chief Justice of India, I have given some guidelines through which the process of justice can be made easier for the common man. For example, several judgments which have been delivered in English are being translated into different languages which even the common man can understand,” he said
Elaborating further on the process of imparting legal education in simple language, the CJI said, “…in various provisions of the Constitution, there are some laws and basic principles. We teach those principles well in English but find it difficult to explain them in regional languages. If we cannot make the common man understand the principles of law in simple language, it is a shortcoming of education in the legal profession.”
He pointed out that many countries provide both legal education and legal procedures in the regional language, so that all citizens not only have access to the legal system but can also become lawyers or judges.
“Only if we efficiently teach our students the core principles of law while at the same time familiarising them with the local context and local legal terms, can we produce socially responsible lawyers in the future who truly understand the problems and concerns of the local community,” the CJI said.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Supreme Court Justice Vikram Nath, Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Arun Bhansali, judges of Allahabad High Court and RMLNLU Vice Chancellor Prof. Amar Pal Singh were present at the meeting.
