Indianization of our legal system urgently needed, says CJI Ramana

CJI N V Ramana on Friday said that the country's legal system should be Indianised as the colonial rules currently followed may not be suited to the needs of the Indian population.

Talking at an event organised by the Karnataka State Bar Council to pay tributes to late Supreme Court judge Justice Mohan Mohan Shantanagoudar, he said that justice delivery poses multiple barriers for the common people because the working style of the courts do not sit well with the complexities of India.

Ramana elaborated on this, saying, "By Indianization, I mean the need to adapt to the practical realities of our society and localise our justice delivery systems."

He pointed out that people from rural areas, who are involved in a family dispute, are often made to feel uncomfortable in court. They can't follow the arguments or pleadings because they're written in an unfamiliar language like English. Litigants' positions have become more complicated as judgments have grown longer in recent years. Because of this, the parties must expend additional funds to fully grasp the judgement's implications.

The courts should be litigant centric and simplification should be a pressing concern. "The justice delivery should be more transparent, accessible, and effective", he said.

The common man should not be scared to approach the court or the judge or speaking the truth, and the duty of creating a comfortable environment for litigants lies with lawyers and judges, said the Chief Justice.

"We must not forget that the focal point of any justice delivery system is 'the litigant-the justice seeker," he added.