Delhi HC: Lawyers Want Right to Present Cases in Hindi

[Ceres]

Last year, the Law Commission of India rejected a recommendation that all Supreme Court and High Court judgments be delivered in Hindi.

Now a group of lawyers in India are advocating for the right to argue cases in Hindi at the Delhi High Court. The lawyers state they are not against the use of English, but want Hindi to also be allowed in the Delhi High Court.

Ashok Aggarwal, the President of the Delhi Lawyers' Association, told the BBC changing the system would benefit almost 80% of lawyers and their clients.

"A majority of the lawyers who come from states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh, say they win their cases at the district level but have a difficult time in the High Court and have to depend on a minority of English-speaking lawyers. "

But some people argue that English is an important link language among non-Hindi speakers and its continued usage in courts is fully justified.

They also stress that court rulings must be written in English as they have wider implications across Indian states.

I can totally appreciate both sides of the arguments. You're likely to present a better case in court if you spoke in your native language. One the other hand, in a country where there are so many different languages spoken, there needs to be a common language which everyone can understand.

For those interested, here's a thread that lays out the arguments for and against English continuing to be used in India.