Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti Led By Ex-CJI Bobde Working On Translation Of Legal Terms To Regional Languages : Union Law Minister

The Union Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju addressed the gathering on the Constitution Day celebrations in the Supreme Court on 26th November, 2022. Mr. Rijiju highlighted the importance of harnessing technology to improve the access to justice. He also spoke about the 'Bhartiya Bhasha Samiti', chaired by former Chief Justice of India SA Bobde which has listed words and phrases, most commonly used in branches of law for developing a common core vocabulary for translating legal material in regional languages. Law Minister Rijiju commenced his address by stating that–

"Samvidhan Divas is celebrated to adopt the Constitution by the constituent assembly. This occasion gives me the chance to convey gratitude to the makers of the Constitution. The constitutional promise of equal justice is based on equal opportunity. It is our constant endeavour to integrate technology and justice to make all information available. To accelerate movement of access to justice, harnessing technology is important."

In this context, he mentioned how seeking pre-litigation advice had been made possible through tele-law services where a citizen could connect via telecom with a panel of lawyers. He added–

"25 lakh people have benefited from this service. In next 5 years more than 1 crore people will be rendered with advice. The Bar Council of India has constituted 'Bhartiya Bhasha Samiti' chaired by former CJI SA Bobde. Committee listed words and phrases which are most commonly used in branches of law for developing a common core vocabulary for translating legal material in regional languages. We have already made a glossary of 65,000 words. We will use Artificial Intelligence and technology to digitise them and make it available for all."

He further added that legal literacy had been prioritised in local dialects and that the Department of Justice had developed a pan India access to justice system depending on regional and indigenous tools. He concluded his address by stating that the ministry was working with the judiciary to make justice accessible for all.