A video from May 2023 resurfaced showing a heated argument in Patna High Court where a judge dismissed a case citing difficulty with Hindi, while the lawyer protested his own struggle with English. The incident highlights language barriers and sparks calls for judicial reforms in India.
Justice Abhay Oka announced that the Supreme Court of India is translating key judgments into regional languages to enhance accessibility to justice. This initiative aims to help citizens understand court decisions in their mother tongue and marks a significant step in simplifying the legal system for everyone, fostering engagement with legal rights.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal shared that more than 78,000 Supreme Court judgments have been translated into Hindi and regional languages using AI. He explained how AI is helping in areas like translation, better administration, natural language processing (NLP), automated case filing, scheduling, case details systems, and chatting with litigants through chatbots.
As of November 21, 2024, India’s judiciary faces severe challenges with 5,200 unfilled positions and 4.53 crore pending cases. The Supreme Court has two vacancies while High Courts have 364, predominantly in Allahabad. Initiatives to translate judgments into regional languages aim to improve access to legal resources amidst these issues.
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The Supreme Court of India reinforced the use of English as the official language for court proceedings, raising concerns about the growing use of Hindi. This has sparked debates about language inclusivity in the legal system. The bench made it clear that all proceedings must be conducted in English unless specified otherwise by Parliament, with the Chief Justice also advocating for the use of regional languages to enhance justice delivery.