In a significant milestone, the Telangana High Court rendered a judgment in Telugu for the first time in a case involving a property dispute between two brothers in Secunderabad.
The 44-page verdict, delivered by Justice P. Naveen Rao and Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka, follows a similar judgment in Malayalam by the Kerala High Court earlier this year. This development aligns with the Supreme Court's initiative to translate important judgments into regional languages and make them available online.
The bench took the initiative to prepare two separate versions of the judgment, one in Telugu and the other in English. While the Telugu version aimed to accommodate the convenience of the litigants, the English copy was included to address any potential typographical errors or uncertainties. The judges acknowledged the usage of certain English words in the Telugu version, considering their widespread familiarity among the people of the state.
The case centered around a 4-acre land in Macha Bollaram, Secunderabad, which had not been divided during the lifetime of the brothers' mother. After her demise, a dispute arose between K. Chandra Reddy and K. Mutyam Reddy regarding the ownership of the property. Chandra Reddy claimed sole ownership based on a will-deed purportedly written by their mother, while Mutyam Reddy contested the existence of such a will and asserted his right to half of the land.
The civil court, upon examination, deemed the will produced by Chandra Reddy as unreliable and dismissed his claim. Chandra Reddy subsequently filed an appeal with the high court, which upheld the trial court's order, finding no legal deficiencies in its decision.
Former judge of the combined Andhra Pradesh High Court, Justice (retd) A. Ramalingeswara Rao, welcomed the Telugu judgment and stressed the need for Parliament to enact a law allowing high courts to deliver judgments in regional languages. He referred to Article 348 of the Constitution, which mandates the use of English for judgments until Parliament takes appropriate action.
Justice Rao highlighted previous attempts by states like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, and Karnataka to seek permission to introduce regional languages in high courts, which were eventually rejected by the Supreme Court. He suggested that Parliament reconsider the Union cabinet's decision from 50 years ago and pass a law that would bring judgments in regional languages and the judiciary closer to the people.
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