Plea filed in Supreme Court asking for use of plain English in drafting of laws

Stating that everything is "complicated and confusing", a lawyer has filed a plea in the Supreme Court (SC) asking for the use of plain language in drafting and issuing of government rules, regulations, notifications and communications of interest to the general public.

Dr Subhash Vijayran, the lawyer, has filed the plea on the basis that writing of "most" lawyers is "wordy", "unclear", "pompous" and "dull", reported Bar and Bench.

"It is the common man who is most ignorant of the system – in fact quite wary of it. Why? Because he neither understands the system nor the laws. Everything is so much complicated and confusing," the plea states.

"The way laws are enacted, practiced and administered in our country violates the fundamental rights of the masses by denying them – Access to Justice. ‘Speedy Justice’ and ‘Legal Awareness’ are the two, out of the many, facets of Access to Justice," it adds.

The plea reasons that using "plain language" in communications will also ensure efficiency since there would be "less ambiguity for the readers" resulting in less time for "clarifications and explanations", it says.

Dr Vijayran, according to Bar and Bench, has also asked for directions to the Bar Council of India to introduce mandatory subject of "Legal Writing in Plain English" at all law schools in India. Moreover, he has also called for page limit for pleadings and time limit for oral arguments before the Supreme Court.

"If this court is to be truly a court of the masses – and not court of a fortunate few – the era of never-ending oral arguments and verbose pleadings has to go," the plea states.