The Gujarat High Court recently witnessed an interesting exchange when the Chief Justice Aravind Kumar, rebuffed a litigant who sought to address the Court in Gujarati by reminding the Chief Justice that he is in Gujarat. .Justice Kumar, who hails from Karnataka, was not one to take it lying down responding to the person in Kannada and reminding him that the language of High Courts is English and regional language can be used only in subordinate courts."You want to answer in Gujarati?," asked Justice Kumar."Ji sir," the litigant responded."(Then) I will tell you in Kannada....(speaks in Kannada) We cannot understand what you are speaking. If you want to speak, speak in Kannada, which we can understand," he said."Yeh Gujarat hain. Main pehle aa chuka hoon High Court main," the litigant responded."This is High Court. Not District Court. Only in District Court, local language is permissible. Here it is only English," the CJ responded..Chief Justice of High Courts are usually from outside the concerned State and often face issues including language barriers with the court staff and lawyers. This is often pronounced when judges from southern States are appointed Chief Justices of High Courts in western and northern parts of India.Justice Kumar had started his practice in 1987 in Karnataka and was appointed Additional Central Government Standing Counsel at High Court of Karnataka in the year 1999. He was appointed additional judge of the Karnataka High Court in 2009 and was made permanent in 2012. He took charge as Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court on October 13, 2021. Interestingly, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana had recently called for Indianisation of legal system to make courts more accessible to lay persons.
The Gujarat High Court recently witnessed an interesting exchange when the Chief Justice Aravind Kumar, rebuffed a litigant who sought to address the Court in Gujarati by reminding the Chief Justice that he is in Gujarat. .Justice Kumar, who hails from Karnataka, was not one to take it lying down responding to the person in Kannada and reminding him that the language of High Courts is English and regional language can be used only in subordinate courts."You want to answer in Gujarati?," asked Justice Kumar."Ji sir," the litigant responded."(Then) I will tell you in Kannada....(speaks in Kannada) We cannot understand what you are speaking. If you want to speak, speak in Kannada, which we can understand," he said."Yeh Gujarat hain. Main pehle aa chuka hoon High Court main," the litigant responded."This is High Court. Not District Court. Only in District Court, local language is permissible. Here it is only English," the CJ responded..Chief Justice of High Courts are usually from outside the concerned State and often face issues including language barriers with the court staff and lawyers. This is often pronounced when judges from southern States are appointed Chief Justices of High Courts in western and northern parts of India.Justice Kumar had started his practice in 1987 in Karnataka and was appointed Additional Central Government Standing Counsel at High Court of Karnataka in the year 1999. He was appointed additional judge of the Karnataka High Court in 2009 and was made permanent in 2012. He took charge as Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court on October 13, 2021. Interestingly, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana had recently called for Indianisation of legal system to make courts more accessible to lay persons.