‘Glossary of legal terms in Indian tongues on anvil’

CHENNAI: Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday stressed the need to prioritise the use of regional languages in the curricular activities of courts across the country to make justice accessible to the common man. He added that court orders should be published in the local language.

Delivering his speech at the 12th convocation ceremony of Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University here, the union minister said he is against the imposition of only one language. “I have already spoken to the Chief Justice of India, senior judges of the Supreme Court and all the Chief Justices of High Courts that in future, we must give priority to regional languages,” he said.

Speaking at the event, Rijiju showered praises on Tamil. “We all will be proud to see that the Tamil language takes centre stage in the high court, as well as district and subordinate courts,” he added.
According to the minister, the union government is working to create a common vocabulary, in all Indian regional languages, for words utilised in legal documents and legal glossaries would be digitised. With this technological advancement, instant translation of court proceedings to local languages would be possible, he further said.

Rijiju expressed concern over pending cases in courts across the country. The centre is taking measures to ensure the availability of all infrastructure in courts, he said, adding that he would conduct a review meeting with the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court soon in this regard.

Meanwhile, on the occasion, Governor RN Ravi—also the chancellor of the university—called upon the law students to help the society.  “People in this profession are not only instruments of the justice delivery system but are expected to guide society.

The stalwarts of the past have done their jobs, and now the responsibilities lie with young professionals.” The governor urged the youngsters to contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of India becoming a world leader by 2047. Law minister S Regupathy attended the event