Lok Sabha Question No. 2119 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-01
Subject: Regional Languages in Court Proceedings
Ministry: LAW AND JUSTICE
Asked by: Shri Robert Bruce C

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2119

## ANSWERED ON 01/08/2025

## REGIONAL LANGUAGES IN COURT PROCEEDINGS

## 2119.   SHRI ROBERT BRUCE C :

Will the Minister of Law and Justice be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  High  Courts  in  the  country  that  are  using  regional  languages  in  their proceedings;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  received  any  request/representation  from  different  High Courts for use of regional languages in their respective High Courts;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the response of the Government in this regard;
- (d) whether the Government has held any meeting with the Bar Councils in various States to develop a mechanism to facilitate the people in court proceedings/cases, if so, the outcome thereof; and
- (e) whether Government has prepared a common legal dictionary for the use of courts in legal system of regional languages, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF LAW AND JUSTICE;  AND  MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS

## (SHRI ARJUN RAM MEGHWAL)

(a)  to  (c):  Article  348(1)(a)  of  the  Constitution  of  India  states  that  all  proceedings  in  the Supreme Court and in every High Court, shall be in English language. Clause (2) of the Article 348 of the Constitution states that notwithstanding anything in sub-clause (a) of clause (1), the Governor of a State may, with the previous consent of the President, authorize the use of Hindi Language, or any other language used for any official purposes of the State, in proceedings in the High Court having its principal seat in that State.

The Cabinet Committee's decision dated 21.05.1965 has stipulated that consent of the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India be obtained on any proposal relating to use of a language other than English in the High Court.

The use of Hindi in the proceedings of High Court of Rajasthan was authorized under clause (2) of Article 348 of the constitution in 1950. After the Cabinet Committee's decision dated 21.05.1965 as mentioned above, the use of Hindi was authorized in the High Courts of Uttar Pradesh (1969), Madhya Pradesh (1971) and Bihar (1972) in consultation with the Chief Justice of India.

Government of India had received proposals from the Government of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Karnataka to permit use of Tamil, Gujarati, Hindi, Bengali  and  Kannada  in  the  proceedings  of  the  Madras  High  Court,  Gujarat  High  Court, Chhattisgarh High Court, Calcutta High Court and Karnataka High Court respectively. The advice of Chief Justice of India was sought on these proposals and it was intimated that the Full Court of the Supreme Court after due deliberations, decided not to accept the proposals.

Based  on  another  request  from  the  Government  of  Tamil  Nadu,  the  Government requested the Chief Justice of India to review the earlier decisions in this regard and convey the consent of the Supreme Court of India. The Chief Justice of India conveyed that the Full Court,  after  extensive  deliberations  decided  not  to  approve  the  proposal  and  reiterated  the earlier decisions of the Hon'ble Court.

(d) & (e): Under the aegis of the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Bar Council of India has constituted 'Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti' chaired by former Chief Justice of India, Hon'ble Mr. Justice S.A. Bobde for the purpose of translating legal material into regional languages by developing a Common Core Vocabulary close to all Indian Languages.  In addition, Legislative Department of Ministry of Law and Justice has prepared a legal glossary of 65,000 words in Hindi for digitization and making available in public domain in searchable format for the usage of all.

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