SC judgments

Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud said on Saturday that the Supreme Court intended to provide translated copies of its judgments in every Indian language. The CJI suggested that Artificial Intelligence could be used for the purpose, even as he highlighted the potential of technology to bridge the information gap and overcome the linguistic barrier. Speaking at a function organised by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa, Justice Chandrachud stressed the need to reach out to the nation’s citizens in a language which they can understand. Indeed, litigants who are not familiar with the subtleties and complexities of the English language are not able to properly comprehend these judgments. Some lawyers might also be facing a similar problem. This leads to misreading or misinterpretation of the court’s orders and eventually impacts the delivery of justice. The CJI’s suggestion has been endorsed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who tweeted that this ‘laudatory thought’ will help many people, particularly youngsters. With the government working on making medical and engineering textbooks available in regional languages, Justice Chandrachud’s push for making judicial verdicts more accessible to the masses has rightly struck a chord with the powers that be.

There is no doubt that technology has a major role to play in improving the efficiency of the justice delivery system. In September last year, the apex court started live-streaming of hearings of its Constitution Bench. This path-breaking step is aimed at bringing the court proceedings in the public domain. According to the CJI, live-streaming helps teachers and students of law have informed discussions on the issues that come up before the judges. It also gives an insight into the functioning of the courts.

It will be a challenge to ensure that the translations of judgements are accurate and comprehensible. The use of state-of-the-art, foolproof software is a must to avoid inconsistencies. The judiciary deserves praise for its acknowledgment of India’s linguistic diversity and its sincere intention to reduce inconvenience faced by the public. This is a welcome initiative that should be implemented at the earliest.