Marathi used for 50 pc works in court: Oak

Thane, Nov 23 (UNI) At least 50 per cent of the work, including delivering of judgements upto the district level, is being done in Marathi in the courts of Maharashtra, Justice Abhay Oak of the Bombay High Court said here today.

Justice Oak, who was one of the speakers at a symposium organised on ''Judiciary Guarantor of Fundamental Rights'', said it was in 1998 that the Government of Maharashtra issued a notification under statutory provisions making Marathi the language of the lower courts.

In December 2005, the High Court set up a committee, of which Mr Oak was a member, for the implementation of Marathi in the courts in the state. A lot of work has been done since then, he said.

There are certain issues such as paucity of staff, infrastructure and appropriate words in Marathi, which are being resolved, he said, adding that it is necessary to get appropriate Marathi words for the legal terms in English.

Use of some English words is inevitable and translation from English to Marathi is a gradual process, Justice Oak said, adding that Yashwantrao Chavan Institute is making efforts in this area.

The purpose of introducing Marathi in the courts is that the litigant should know as to what is happening in his case, he said.

Justice Oak also stressed on the need for legal literacy, not only for people in rural but also in urban areas, for which participation of social organisations is necessary.

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