Lok Sabha Question No. 257 (STARRED), answered on 2023-03-17
Subject: Legal Education in Hindi and Regional Languages
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Sanjay Seth

## Government of India Ministry of Law & Justice Department of Legal Affairs

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## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 257 TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY, THE 17 TH  MARCH, 2023

## Legal Education in Hindi and Regional Languages

- +*257.  SHRI SANJAY SETH:

Will the Minister of LAW AND JUSTICE be pleased to state:

- (a)  whether  any  scheme  has  been  prepared  to  provide  legal  education  to  the children of India in Hindi and Regional Languages;
- (b) if so, the details thereof; and
- (c)  whether  the  Government  has  formulated  any  scheme/taken  steps  to encourage the courts to conduct hearings and deliver judgements in Hindi and the regional languages so that even common people can read and understand the court decisions, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF LAW AND JUSTICE

(SHRI KIREN RIJIJU)

- (a) to (c): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF THE LOK SABHA  STARRED  QUESTION  NO.*257  FOR  THE  17 TH   MARCH,  2023 REGARDING 'LEGAL EDUCATION IN HINDI AND REGIONAL LANGUAGES'.

(a) to (c): The Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education has informed that the National Education Policy, 2020 in its para 20.4 states that 'Legal education needs to be  competitive  globally,  adopting  best  practices  and  embracing  new  technologies  for wider access to and timely delivery of Justice. At the same time, it must be informed and illuminated  with  Constitutional  values  of  Justice  -Social,  Economic,  and  Political  and directed towards National reconstruction through instrumentation of democracy, rule of law, and human rights. The curricula for legal studies must reflect socio-cultural contexts along  with,  in  an  evidence-based  manner,  the  history  of  legal  thinking,  principles  of justice,  the  practice  of  jurisprudence,  and  other  related  content  appropriately  and adequately.  State  institutions  offering  law  education  must  consider  offering  bilingual education for future lawyers and judges in English and in the language of the State in which the Institution is situated'.

This  Ministry  of  Law  &  Justice  is  emphasizing  to  promote  and  enhance  use  of Hindi and other regional languages in Legal Education and for conducting proceedings of the Supreme Court/High Courts and other judicial fora. Further, a process of digitizing 65000  words  Legal  glossary  to  make  it  available  to  public  and  creation  of  an  online platform to crowd-sourcing the coining of legal terminology for Indian Languages is in progress.  Also  this  Ministry  is  in  the  process  to  identify  frequently  used  words  in  the legal  documents  and  creating  a  transitive  vocabulary/common  core  vocabulary  by coining words from common roots which would be adaptable by all the Indian languages so  that  the  translation  of  legal  documents  from  one  Indian  language  to  another  Indian language would be easier. This Ministry is also planning to convene a meeting of Vice Chancellors  of  Law  Universities,  representatives  of  Bar  and  Judiciary  to  prepare  Ten Year  Perspective  action  Plan  for  Promotion  of  Indian  Languages  in  Courts  and  Legal Education.  Further,  a  committee  under  the  Chairmanship  of  Hon'ble  (Retd.)  Chief Justice of India Shri. S.A. Bobde has been constituted by the Bar Council of India (BCI) to  recommend measures to enhance the use of Hindi and other Regional languages, in Legal Education.

The  Department  of  Official  Language,  Ministry  of  Home  Affairs  has  informed  that enabling Constitutional and Legal provisions in this regard are already in place. As per Article 348 of the Constitution and Section 7 of the Official Language Act, 1963 there are provisions of optional use of Hindi and other (Languages included in the 8 th Schedule of  the  Indian  Constitution)  in  proceedings  and  judgments  etc.  of  the  courts.  Under  the aforementioned provisions, optional use of Hindi in the proceedings of High Courts of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar was authorized in the year 1950, 1969, 1971 and 1972 respectively.