Use of English in lower courts: SAD, PEP seek review of HC order

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Punjab Ekta Party (PEP) Wednesday asked the state government to seek a review of the decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, making English language mandatory in lower courts.

"The high court's decision of making it mandatory for lower courts to ensure the abstract of the case, depositions of witnesses and judgments only in English language will cause inconvenience to the common man in the state, where 90 per cent of the population understands only Punjabi," said SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said here in a statement.

"People will not be able to comprehend the testimonies and judgments provided in English language. They would need a translator at every step and it would not only make them vulnerable to financial exploitation, they might be misguided about depositions and judgments as well,"Cheema claimed.

He urged the state government to take appropriate action and seek a review of the decision.

Punjab Ekta Party chief Sukhpal Singh Khaira said in many states the lower judiciary was using local language for all official work.

He said it was the duty of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to raise the issue of the use of Punjabi language in lower courts with the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.