Jaipur: Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said regional and local languages should be promoted in proceedings at lower and high courts, while arguments and judgments in the Supreme Court can happen in English. The minister also around 70 redundant laws will be repealed during the Monsoon Session of Parliament starting Monday.
The minister said no mother tongue should be considered inferior to English and asserted he does not subscribe to the view that a lawyer should get more respect, cases, or fees only because he speaks more in English. He also said there should be good coordination between the government and the judiciary so that justice is delivered expeditiously.
No court should be only for the privileged and the doors of justice should be open for all equally, he said at the inaugural session of the 18th All India Legal Services Authority in Jaipur where he also delved into the languages used in court proceedings. "Arguments and judgments in the Supreme Court happen in English. But our vision is that in high courts and lower courts, regional and local languages need to be given priority," the minister said, delivering his address in Hindi.
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He said there are lawyers who cannot effectively argue in English, and as such when a common speaking language is used in proceedings, it can resolve many problems. "If I have a problem speaking in English, I should have the liberty to speak my mother tongue," Rijiju said. "I am not in favour that those who speak more in English should get more respect, more cases or more fees. I am against it," he said.
