PM calls for ‘ease of justice’ with laws in simple local languages

Making a strong case for reforms in the judicial system, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said laws should be written in simple and regional languages so that even the poorest of poor can understand them.

He also emphasised the need to speed up the judicial process as the delay in getting justice is one of the major challenges faced by the people of the country.

In his inaugural address delivered via video at the two-day conference being hosted by the Ministry of Law and Justice at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat, PM Modi said, “Since obscurity of law creates complexity, new laws should be written in a simple manner and in regional languages to bring in “ease of justice”. even the poor can easily understand them, he said, noting that legal language should not become a hurdle for citizens.

“While making laws, our focus should be that even the poorest of the poor can understand the new legislation well. The legal language should not become a barrier for any citizen. Every state should work for this also. For this, we will also need logistic and infrastructure support,” he explained.

“The academic system will also have to be made for the youth in the mother tongue. Law-related courses should be in the mother tongue. Let our laws be written in simple and intuitive language. The Digital library of important cases of High Court and Supreme Court should be in local language,” Prime Minister emphasised.

He said his government has paid special attention to ease the burden of people by scrapping obsolete laws, and more than 1,500 old and irrelevant laws have been scrapped in the last eight years.

“To remove the legal hurdles lying in the way of innovation and ease of living, more than 32,000 compliances have been reduced. These changes are for the convenience of people,” he said.

PM Modi said that many such laws from colonial times are still continuing in many states, and those should be removed and new laws framed, he said.

“Apart from this, a review of the existing laws of the states with special focus on ease of living and ease of justice will also prove helpful,” PM Modi said.

He also stressed the need for modern technology in the legal system.

Referring to the e-court’s mission, PM Modi said technology has become an integral part of the judicial system in India. “Digital innovations in legal services like virtual hearing and e-filing are already launched in India and 5G services would further strengthen these technologies,” he said.

He said the delay in the delivery of justice is a major hindrance.

“In Gujarat, we started evening courts. Cases that were of petty crimes were heard in these courts, thus reducing the burden on courts and allowing speedy resolution of matters. When law and order develops in sync with societal progress, it ensures that there is ease of justice,” added PM Modi.