Still Following Colonial Rules: CJI Ramana Calls For Indianised Legal System For Effective Justice Delivery

Pointing out the flows in our judicial system, India Chief Justice N V Ramana said that the country is still following the colonial rules which may not be suited to the needs of the Indian population.

Justice NV Ramana

New Delhi: From time to time, questions have been raised about the delay in getting justice under the Indian judicial system. Taking a note of this problem of common people, Chief Justice of India N V Ramana on Saturday called for “Indianisation” of the country’s legal system for effective delivery of justice.

CJI Ramana was speaking in a function held in Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Saturday, organised by the Karnataka State Bar Council to pay tributes to Late Justice Mohana M. Shantanagaudar. While addressing the people there, Ramana expressed concerns over flows in Indian legal system.

Pointing out the flows in our judicial system, the Chief Justice of India said that the country is still following the colonial rules which may not be suited to the needs of the Indian population. According to him, our judicial system belongs to the British era and it needs to be Indianised.

"Very often our justice delivery poses multiple barriers for the common people. The working and the style of courts do not sit well with the complexities of India. Our system, practices, rules being colonial in origin may not be best suited to the needs of the Indian population," he opined.

"We need to Indianize our judicial system. It is necessary that we accept the reality of the society and adapt the justice system according to the local needs," the top India judge noted.

Referring to a family of a village, CJI Ramana highlighted that the people of rural areas do not understand the legal proceedings in English, so they have to spend more money.

"If any family of the village comes to the court to settle their dispute, then they cannot adjust there. They do not understand the arguments of the court which are mostly in English. Court proceedings are so complex that sometimes people misunderstand, they have to spend more money to understand the court proceedings," Ramana underlined.

Justice Ramana emphasised on making the courts litigant centric. He further stressed on making the court proceedings transparent and accountable and said that for this, judges and lawyers together should create an environment which is convenient for the common people.