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`Kannada in courts can make litigation easier'

Staff Correspondent

First court judgement written in Kannada dates back to 1868

LEGAL LANGUAGE: (from left) B.M. Idinabba, president, KDA; G.V. Hedge, Principal District and Sessions Judge, Dakshina Kannada; and N.C. Srinivas, Principal Civil Judge, at a seminar on `Use of Kannada in courts' in Mangalore on Thursday.

MANGALORE: Court proceedings in Kannada have a history of over a century and Kannada can be used in courts effectively if the Government provides facilities for the same, said senior judges who spoke at the inauguration of a seminar on "Use of Kannada in Courts" here on Thursday.

The seminar was jointly organised by the Kannada Development Authority (KDA), Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheswara Law College, Dakshina Kannada Sahitya Parishad and the Department of Kannada and Culture.

N.C. Srinivas, Principal Civil Judge (Senior Division), Mangalore, said that the Government in 1866 issued a circular to use Kannada in the administration. The first court judgment written in Kannada dates back to 1868.

Mr. Srinivas said that Kannada could be implemented in courts effectively.

However, courts do not have Kannada typewriters and typists who can type in Kannada.

He said most people who approach courts are from the lower and middle classes and the use of Kannada in courts will be of benefit to them.

It is unfortunate that summons are being issued in the format evolved when the Code of Civil Procedure was framed in 1905, he added.

G.V. Hegde, Principal District and Sessions Judge, Dakshina Kannada, said he has noticed that many advocates while pleading their cases find it difficult to express themselves in English. In such situations there are chances of points being misinterpreted, which will reflect on the judgments. "If the meaning changes, the judgments also change," he said

Mr. Hegde said if judgments are in Kannada litigants can understand the circumstances of their case better, which will enable them to approach higher courts, if required.

He said when litigants do not understand court verdicts they appeal to higher courts without making an attempt to understand the observations made in the judgments.

This is one reason why cases are piling up in higher courts.

B.M. Idinabba, President, KDA, who inaugurated the seminar, said that Kannada has a history of 1,200 years. It is unfortunate that in Karnataka the Government has to constitute a body (KDA) to ensure the proper implementation of Kannada in administration.

The KDA, which is 20 years old, is doing its job. However, people in the administration must implement Kannada. B.K. Ravindra, Principal, SDM Law College; S. Pradeep Kumar Kalkura, President, Dakshina Kannada Sahitya Parishat; Shankar Khanderi, retired judge; Padmaprasad Hegde, advocate spoke. .

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