Today, On 19th September, Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud announced that since 1947, around 37,000 Supreme Court judgments have been translated into Hindi. This initiative aims to make legal information more accessible to the public. The effort reflects a broader push to overcome language barriers in the judicial system.
New Delhi: Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud announced on Thursday that nearly 37,000 Supreme Court judgments since India’s Independence have been translated into Hindi, with efforts now underway to translate them into other regional languages.
During a hearing alongside Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, the CJI said,
“After Hindi, Tamil is leading now,”
He noted that the Supreme Court is working on translating its judgments into all regional languages recognized by the Constitution. The Constitution’s Eighth Schedule recognizes 22 languages, including Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, and Dogri.
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The CJI also encouraged lawyers to use “neutral citations” from the electronic Supreme Court Reports (e-SCR) during hearings. The e-SCR project, launched in 2023, offers free access to Supreme Court judgments for lawyers, law students, and the public.
During hearings, lawyers often refer to previous judgments using the e-SCR system to support their arguments.
Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud urged them to “please use our e-SCR to refer to neutral citations (of cases).” He also highlighted that Supreme Court judgments are now being translated into regional languages with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure they reach district courts across the country.
However, the CJI emphasized the importance of human intervention in the translation process, noting that AI has its limitations. For instance, AI translates the legal term “leave granted” as “avkash prapt hua,” whereas in legal context, “leave” refers to the court’s permission for a litigant to pursue a specific remedy.
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When launching the e-SCR project, the Supreme Court announced that its judgments would be accessible on the court’s official website, mobile app, and the judgment portal of the National Judicial Data Grid (NJDG).
The Electronic Supreme Court Reports (e-SCR) initiative aims to provide digital versions of the Supreme Court’s judgments, presented in the same format as they appear in the official law report, Supreme Court Reports.