Sakshi Goswami, Indian Law Institute, New Delhi
ABSTRACT
Language which is considered to be at the core of human identity can becomes an obstacle in the effective dispensation of justice. India being the land of 121 languages, out of which 22 languages are scheduled and spoken by around 97 percent of the Indian population, despite that the official language of our courts is English, which is manifestly violative of equality and considering it in light of language census of India; social, cultural, economic factors; literacy rate; faith of Indians on Judiciary; it leads one to various other repercussions, that is, violation of freedom of speech and expression, no access to justice, manipulation of litigants by their lawyers, etc. As a ray of hope comes the initiative by the Supreme Court in which it would be translating its judgments in vernacular languages. This paper will be analyzing the scope and utility of such an initiative in light of fundamental rights, global stance on the point and language census of India.
