Legal higher education must be extended to remote areas, non-English speaking countries: CJI Chandrachud

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Friday said university legal education should be extended to remote rural areas so that students from small towns are not deprived of the opportunity to become lawyers.

Speaking at the PhD inauguration ceremony of Rajendra Prasad National Law University, Chandrachud said, “Technology has given us the ability to reach out to students who are far away.

Despite the advances in legal education, the contemporary legal education system favors only English-speaking urban children. “

“A survey of diversity at five law schools revealed that children from diverse backgrounds were not admitted to these universities because they did not speak English,” he said.

“Today, thanks to Bhashini software, we have translated around 36,000 Supreme Court judgments from 1950 to 2024. The goal is to make these decisions accessible to every uninformed citizen,” said Chandrachud, the show’s chief guest. English and Practice in the District Court. “

Even opportunities such as mooting, internships and competitions have traditionally been designed with children from elite families in mind, he said.

“Law schools and universities should be designed with kids from all backgrounds in mind,” he said.

The CJI also appealed to the university administration to keep the medium of instruction as Hindi so that the best students from Uttar Pradesh become the best lawyers.

He said: “From the Indian independence movement to the constitution-making process and contemporary Indian politics, lawyers have made significant contributions to nation-building.

“Lawyers play a vital, multifaceted role in society, contributing to the functioning of the legal system and the promotion of justice. They represent individuals and entities to ensure their rights are protected. This includes criminal defence, civil litigation and a variety of Defense of legal matters.” He added: “The role of lawyers includes representing marginalized and vulnerable groups and ensuring they have a voice in the legal system.”

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Supreme Court Justice Manoj Misra, Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Arun Bhansali, Uttar Pradesh Advocate General Ajay Kumar Mishra and university vice-chancellor Usha Tandon also addressed the occasion.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)