Justice B V Nagarathna said South Indians should not feel isolated just because they don’t speak Hindi and stressed the need for moderation in language use in courts. She highlighted India’s linguistic diversity and said English connects southern states in the judicial system.
New Delhi: Supreme Court judge Justice B V Nagarathna on Wednesday said that people from South India do not want to feel cut off from the rest of the country just because they do not know Hindi. She was answering a question on the use of Hindi in courts and clarified that her remarks were not political.
She explained that India is a diverse country, almost like a subcontinent, where many languages exist and no one can depend only on one language.
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She pointed out that the Constitution’s 8th Schedule recognises many languages, and in South India alone, people speak at least six major languages.
Justice Nagarathna said that every person should avoid being rigid about their language and added that English works as a link language between different southern states.
She noted that in Tamil Nadu, people mostly do not speak English or Hindi, which sometimes creates communication problems. Sharing her own concern, she asked,
“How do I converse? You must understand India as a subcontinent. I am not on politics here. In district courts, we have our individual languages like Kannada, Tamil etc. In constitutional courts, English is the official language. Otherwise, how do we transfer judges to different high courts? Please, have some kind of moderation in this. Moderation is required when we say this because we (south Indians) do not want to be isolated as we do not know Hindi. This is what I am saying, coming from the south.”
Her comments came after Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant responded to a woman lawyer who asked what steps were being taken to help lawyers who know only their local language and not English.
The CJI said,
“Kisi bhi bhasha ke prayog ke liye hamein samvedansheel hona hoga. Main kai bar court me litigants aur lawyers ko Hindi me bol deta hoon. Hamein is inhibition ko khatam karna hai. Ye theek hai ki hamara procedure aur law English mein bana hai.”
He further added,
“Main keval Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil ki baat nahi kar raha hoon but main local dialect ki baat kar raha hoon. We must speak the same language in the judicial system which the litigant wants to listen.”
CJI Surya Kant was speaking at a panel discussion titled
“WE — (Women Empowerment in Law): on Strength, Struggle and Success”,
organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA). He added that he tries to support all Indian languages and that, since Hindi is the national language, he feels proud to encourage it.
Justice Nagarathna also spoke about her personal struggles during the early days of her legal career. Because her father, Justice E S Venkataramiah, was a judge of the Supreme Court, it was agreed that she would not enrol as a lawyer in Delhi.
She explained,
“I had to go to Bengaluru and I had no house there. For three months, I sat at home. But on October 24, 1987, I left for Bengaluru. So this first is always there.”
She also shared her view on women’s success and said,
“There is an adage that behind every successful man, there is a woman, but I would like to say that behind every successful woman, there is a family.”
She stressed that institutional support is essential for keeping women in the legal profession. She said that senior lawyers must give meaningful work to women juniors, not only family-related matters but also tough civil and criminal cases so that they can prove their abilities.
She said courts should also support women by giving them opportunities such as appointments as amicus curiae.
Justice Nagarathna strongly recommended increasing women’s representation among government lawyers and said,
“Thirty per cent of law officers of the central government should be women. If women are given an opportunity, they will definitely appear before the courts.”
Explaining the pressure women face at home when they try to build a career in law, she said,
“What the family will say to the women? You are out of the home from morning to evening. You are not attending to household duties, children, and at the same time, you are not earning. This is a very stark remark which comes from the family. How will she face this ‘tana’ (taunt)?”
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She added that women lawyers must be respected in the courtroom and that male lawyers should treat them as equals and fellow professionals.
This discussion highlighted how language, gender equality, and institutional support all play key roles in India’s legal system, and how judges are encouraging a more inclusive and sensitive approach both inside and outside the courtroom.
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