PM Modi said social justice can only be ensured when legal processes are accessible to everyone, regardless of background.
He highlighted that simplifying legal language would lead to better compliance and fewer disputes.
The Supreme Court recently ruled that police must provide written arrest reasons in a language understood by the accused, reinforcing constitutional safeguards.
Modi Calls For Simplifying Legal Language, Says ‘Ease Of Justice’ Key To Ease Of Living
At a Supreme Court conference, PM Modi urged that laws be made easier to understand and accessible to all, as the apex court ruled that arrestees must be told reasons for arrest in a language they comprehend.
Summary
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi advocated for the simplification of legal language so that individuals pursuing justice could understand it and emphasised that ease of justice is essential to ensuring ease of living and ease of conducting business.
"Social justice can be ensured only when justice reaches everyone irrespective of their social or financial background," the prime minister said at an inaugural session of the National Conference on Strengthening Legal Aid Delivery Mechanisms.
According to him, everyone must have access to justice, and ease of justice is necessary to guarantee both ease of living and ease of conducting business.
On similar lines, the Supreme Court issued a groundbreaking judgment that reshapes how police conduct arrests nationwide on Thursday. The highest court declared that everyone taken into police custody must be handed written reasons explaining why they are being arrested in a language that is understood by the arrestee.
“The failure to supply such grounds in a language understood by the arrestee renders the constitutional safeguards illusory and infringes the personal liberty of the person as guaranteed under Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution of India. The objective of the constitutional mandate is to place the person in a position to comprehend the basis of the allegations levelled against him, and it can only be realised when the grounds are furnished in a language understood by the person, thereby enabling him to exercise his rights effectively”, the top court said.
“Mere communication of the grounds in a language not understood by the person arrested does not fulfil the constitutional mandate under Article 22 of the Constitution of India. The failure to supply such grounds in a language understood by the arrestee renders the constitutional safeguards illusory and infringes the personal liberty of the person as guaranteed under Article 21 and 22 of the Constitution,” said the court, while referring to precedents.
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The administration has improved the "ease of justice" in recent years, according to Prime Minister Modi, and will continue to speed up this process.
"The language of law should be one that is understood by those seeking justice. When people understand law in their own language, it leads to better compliance and fewer lawsuits," he said.
Inaugurating the National Conference on 'Strengthening Legal Aid Delivery Mechanisms' at the Supreme Court in New Delhi, PM Modi said, "In the past three years, the legal aid system supported by the government has helped in resolving eight lakh cases through Lok Adalats and pre-litigation stage."
He stressed the need to increase legal awareness among citizens and to infuse technology into the judicial system to empower citizens.
With PTI inputs.
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