Justice Ravindra Bhat Inaugurates National Conference On Judicial History & Archiving Organised By Orissa High Court

A National Conference on “Judicial History and Archiving” organized by the Orissa High Court was inaugurated by Justice S. Ravindra Bhat, Judge, Supreme Court on Friday. The conference, which is set to be held over two days, i.e. 15 and 16 July, is going on at the Odisha Judicial Academy, Cuttack.

The Conference is centred around the Judicial History of Odisha and the importance of archiving judicial records. Distinguished historians and intellectuals from all over the country and students of various educational institutions are invited to participate in the conference.

The inaugural function witnessed the presence of Prof. Partha Chatterjee, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and of Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies. It was also attended by Dr. Justice S. Muralidhar, Chief Justice and the Judges of the Orissa High Court.

A book titled “Judicial History of Odisha, Volume-I” published by the Centre for Judicial Archives of the High Court was unveiled on the occasion by Justice Bhat and Professor Chatterjee.

“The book is divided into three parts – Ancient Period, The Tribes of Odisha and Their Customary Laws and The Medieval Period. It traces the judicial history up to the beginning of the period when the East India Company began its operation in India, and in Odisha in particular. The second volume will be on the period following, up to independence,” informed the High Court Registry.

While delivering the welcome address, Justice Debabrata Dash said archiving of judicial records is a momentous step by the High Court. Highlighting the need for archiving judicial records, he said spreading of knowledge through preservation of history has a significant role to play in the development of the nation and preservation of judicial history gives a sense of identity and continuity of past history and culture for future generations.

Chief Justice Muralidhar lauded the quick response and support of the State Government in establishing the Centre for Judicial Archives. He said that the centre is a good example of interdisciplinary collaboration and expressed hope that other High Courts start similar project. He said that the judicial records tell us many stories on law and society, politics in law, economics in law and so on.

Prof. Partha Chatterjee expressed his disagreement with the notion that all the laws having colonial roots should be discarded. He said that a colonial law or system should be retained or discarded only after evaluating its effect on the political and social lives of the country.

He said, to understand why we have retained some colonial features while we got rid of others, we have to look at how the colonial system function from top to the local level, and for that the summary accounts we get in High Court judgments are not sufficient. He added, judicial archives are the invaluable source for evaluating the effects of the colonial laws.

Prof. Chatterjee further said that judicial archives help in tracing the history of religious orders and sects, social history of genders, information on the condition of the princely states etc. He said, judicial archives have been of great interest not only for the legal historians but also for the social historians.

The conference will conclude on July 16, 2023. It is first its kind in the country, which is initiated by the judicial fraternity, where historians have been invited from across the country by the High Court to discuss on the intersection of law, history and society.