President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday suggested that a system be evolved for providing certified copies of High Court judgments translated in local or regional languages of the litigants.
Inaugurating the valedictory function of the diamond jubilee of the Kerala High Court here, he said copies of the translated judgments could be provided in 24 or 36 hours after the verdict was pronounced.
The President pointed out that the High Courts delivered judgments in English, “but we are a country of diverse languages. The litigant may not be conversant with English and the finer points of the judgment may escape him or her. The litigating parties will thus be dependent on the lawyer or another person to translate the judgment. This can add to time and cost”.
It was important not only to take justice to the people but also to make it understandable to the litigating parties in a language they know, he added.
He said the delay in justice delivery was “a pressing concern”.
“Often those who suffer are among the poorest and most underprivileged in our society. We must find mechanisms to ensure quick disposal of cases. We could all consider an approach that makes adjournments the exception in an emergency situation rather than a tactic to prolong court proceedings.”
Chief Justice of India Deepak Misra, delivering the keynote address, said new methods, tools, and innovative strategies would have to be devised for ensuring justice for all. Delay in disposal of cases would “diminish the confidence of the citizen in the judicial process”.
The Arrears Committees of the Supreme Court and the High Courts had been able to reduce the backlog of cases. He said the motto of the judiciary should be that court existed for the people and not the people for the court.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court Naviniti Prasad Singh spoke.
