CHENNAI: Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana on Saturday said there are “some barriers” in allowing courts to use local languages, and these would hopefully be solved soon through technology.He was responding to Chief Minister MK Stalin’s appeal to allow the use of Tamil in the Madras High Court. He also addressed Stalin’s other requests, including that the principles of social justice and inclusiveness be followed in appointment of judges to higher courts, and that a bench of the Supreme Court be set up in Chennai.
The CJI was speaking after laying the foundation stone for a nine-storey administrative block of Madras HC, and inaugurating combined court buildings in Kallakurichi and Namakkal. The CM inaugurated the commercial court complex in Egmore.
CJI Ramana said Tamilians take great pride in their language, food, and culture. “They are at the forefront of protecting cultural and linguistic rights in the country. Even today when we think about the linguistic diversity of India, the battle fought by Tamilians comes to mind. As a child, when I visited my relatives in the city, I remember witnessing massive protests on the language issue though I was too young to understand the issue involved,” he said, in a reference to the anti-Hindi agitation piloted by DMK in the 1960s.
“From time to time, there have been demands to use local languages in proceedings before high courts as provided under Article 348 of the Constitution. There are some barriers which have prevented this. I hope with the advent of technology, and artificial intelligence, some of the issues related to introduction of languages in HCs may be served in the near future,” he added.
On inclusivity, the CJI said judges from marginalised or rural communities may better understand the issues faced by litigants from similar backgrounds. “Social and geographical diversity must also find reflection in all levels of the judiciary. We are awaiting a day when a person’s gender, orientation, birth, or identity would not act as a barrier,” he said.
As for constituting an SC bench in Chennai, he said advocate P Wilson, who is also an MP, had introduced a private member bill to set up regional benches of the SC. “I am not aware if the Centre has expressed its view on the subject, but in the same spirit of accessibility, we have continued hearings online on miscellaneous days. Even on non-miscellaneous days, advocates can still take permission from the court to appear online,” he said.
He also mentioned that the pursuit of instant justice could be counterproductive. “In this era of instant noodles, people expect instant justice. But they don’t realise that real justice will be a casualty if we strive for instant justice,” he said.
CJI Ramana also emphasised the importance of strengthening judicial infrastructure and filling vacancies. Appreciating the CM’s efforts to strengthen the infrastructure, he said he has sent a proposal to the Union government regarding the National Judicial Infrastructure Authority, both at the national and State level, for a national court development project.
SC judges MM Sundresh, V Ramasubramanian, Madras High Court Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari, and State Law Minister S Regupathy were present at the event. The CJI also quoted a couplet from Thirukkural on providing judgments, and verses of poet Bharathiyar to emphasise equality.Earlier, Stalin said the CJI has not only acted as the voice of the law, but also as the voice of the people.
He announced the death benefit of advocates would be raised from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh under the TN Advocates’ Welfare Fund. He also handed over documents for allotment of 4.24 acres, in addition to the 3.52 acres already given to the judiciary, to the CJI. “This prime land to create strong judicial infrastructure will take care of needs for the next 100 years. The State will create infrastructure to make it an integrated comprehensive judicial complex,” he said.