To make legal education more accessible, Chief Justice of India, Justice DY Chandrachud, highlighted the need to offer university-level law programs in remote rural areas and ensure inclusivity for students who do not speak English.
Addressing the inauguration ceremony of Dr. Rajendra Prasad National Law University, Chandrachud stated, "Technology has given us the ability to reach out to far-flung students. Despite developments in legal education, the contemporary legal education system favours only English-speaking urban children."
He said, "A survey conducted on diversity in five law universities shows that children from diverse backgrounds are unable to get admission in these universities due to not being able to speak English," according to PTI.
Referring to a study on diversity in five law schools, the Chief Justice highlighted the difficulties that students from different backgrounds encounter in gaining admission because of language obstacles.
To tackle this problem, he mentioned the Bhashini software, which has converted more than 36,000 Supreme Court judgments from 1950 to 2024, with the goal of providing legal information to non-English speaking practitioners at district courts.
"Law colleges and universities should design it, keeping in mind children coming from diverse backgrounds," he was quoted as saying by PTI.
The Chief Justice also encouraged the university administration to adopt Hindi as the language of instruction to help ensure that the most talented students from Uttar Pradesh succeed in their legal careers.
Emphasizing the crucial importance of lawyers in the development of the nation, Justice Chandrachud recognized their role in promoting justice and advocating for marginalized communities within the legal framework.
The gathering, which was graced by notable figures such as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Justice Manoj Misra from the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court Justice Arun Bhansali, and others, emphasized the significance of comprehensive legal education in molding a fairer and more just society.
