Lucknow: Emphasizing 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 third convocation of Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University, Lucknow, Justice DY Chandrachud underscored the significance of providing legal education in a simple language and highlighted the disadvantage of not doing so. Referring to a study by the Supreme Court’s research arm on 81 universities and colleges, he pointed out the barriers non-English speakers face in understanding their rights.
Furthermore, he mentioned the challenge students face in explaining legal procedures to the general public in local languages due to legal education being primarily in English. Justice Chandrachud clarified that he is not assigning blame or proposing the exclusion of English from legal education, but rather advocating for the inclusion of regional languages.
Highlighting the diversity of the country, he noted the importance of conveying the values of justice and the Constitution to people in various languages, considering the linguistic diversity in states like Uttar Pradesh. Justice Chandrachud also addressed the issue of court proceedings being conducted in English, leading to a lack of understanding among the public. As Chief Justice of India, he has issued directives to simplify the judicial process for the common man, including translating judgments into different languages.
He stressed the need for students to be familiarized with local conditions and legal systems, ensuring that future lawyers are socially responsible and capable of understanding the concerns of the local community.
