In an unprecedented record-setting spree, Justice Gautam Chowdhary of the Allahabad High Court has delivered more than 21,000 judgments in Hindi over the past five years. His efforts, along with those of his colleagues, have significantly contributed to bringing the judicial system closer to the common people by making rulings more accessible in their native language.
The trend towards Hindi in judicial decisions has been on the rise among the justices of the Allahabad High Court. Other notable justices like Saurabh Shyam Shamsheri and Shekhar Kumar Yadav have also delivered thousands of decisions in Hindi, reinforcing the court’s commitment to regional languages.
Former presidents of the High Court Bar, including Rakesh Pandey and Radhakant Ojha, have praised these steps, emphasizing that such measures honour the Hindi language and bring the judiciary closer to the people.
The movement towards Hindi is not new but has seen a significant resurgence. From the 1980s, justices like Prem Shankar Gupta began the practice, promoting Hindi for legal decisions during their tenures. This shift is seen as a response to long-standing public demand for justice delivery in regional languages.
Justice Chowdhary, along with Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, appointed on December 12, 2019, and Justice Saurabh Shyam Shamsheri, who is deeply passionate about Hindi, have been pivotal in this transformation. Their decisions on various crucial matters, including family obligations of husbands and dismissal of teachers with fake degrees, have been delivered in Hindi, marking a robust tradition of linguistic diversity in the judicial process.
