Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana bats for use of Hindi and Punjabi in High Court and legal system to bring ease of justice

Chandigarh, 12 November 2022: Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh organized the National Legal Seminar 2022 on “Young Lawyers: Transcending Legal Barriers” on Saturday at Law Auditorium, Panjab University Chandigarh (highlighting Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and 60 years of its establishment).

Justice Krishna Murari (Judge Supreme Court of India), Manohar Lal (Chief Minister of Haryana), Justice Ravi Shanker Jha (Chief Justice, High Court of Punjab and Haryana), Baldev Raj Mahajan (Senior Advocate & Advocate General Haryana), Prof. Raj Kumar (Vice Chancellor, Panjab University, Chandigarh) graced the seminar.

Addressing the young lawyers on the occasion, Justice Krishna Murari while reminiscing about his days at Chandigarh, when he was the Chief Justice, said that advocacy is not a profession but a practice of living with austerity and contentment. Material things are not the measure of one’s success. What matters is how satisfied you are with your work. There is no short-cut to success. A lawyer can give direction not only to a case but to the whole society, as has been done since time’s immemorial.

Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal told the young students that with the passage of time, statutory changes keep happening. Lawyers must come out of these changes. Central Government keeps introducing new laws & some laws are amended from time to time. It is necessary for a young lawyer to have complete knowledge of these and surpass barriers. A good lawyer is the one who thinks for the problems of the society and one who fights for justice. Fight your battles not to win but to get justice. He appreciated the move of the Bar Council in resolving for use of local languages.

The Chief Justice, J Ravi Shanker Jha referred to quotes from Mahabharata while reminding about legal ethics and etiquette. He highlighted the vital importance of dharma, ancient texts and scriptures and how one needs to know the road to the destination before starting the journey.

Five different working sessions at five different academic venues at Panjab University, under various related sub-themes were held with a participation of over 2000 final year law students from different parts of the country and more than 500 young advocates.

Chairman, Bar Council Suvir Sidhu while referring to ‘Sankalp se Siddhi’, earmarked the importance of such seminars and how Bar Council has undertaken the road to progressive development and digitization. He highlighted, as to how Council has been engaged in lawyers’ welfare activities during Covid-19 and while the Council celebrates Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, it also commemorates 60 years of establishment, since 1961. He conducted the entire address in Hindi, signaling the urgent need of allowing regional languages in legal arena.

Lekh Raj Sharma, Chairman Legal Education Committee Chandigarh shared his views on legal works in Hindi and Punjabi. He said that it is very important that legal work should be understood by all the people for which regional language should be used at all levels possible.

The Honorary Secretary, Gurtej Singh Grewal apprised the gathering that the State Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana has already passed a resolution to this effect, resolving to take up the implementation of regional languages (Hindi and Punjabi) in High Court and urge the use of regional languages in the legal system to bring ease of justice.

Dignitaries and legal luminaries participated in this seminar. Some of them addressed their views on young lawyers and judicial reforms. Suvir Sidhu (Chairman), Ashok Singla (Vice-Chairman), Partap Singh (Member, BCI) and Gurtej S Grewal (Hony’ Secretary) and Lekh Raj Sharma, Chairman Legal Education Committee, Chandigarh (Event Coordinator) were present at the Seminar.