Former Union Finance Minister and Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Saturday questioned the rationale behind naming legislation in Hindi.
“I am not against naming them in Hindi. It is better to give names in English since the Union Law Ministry drafts all the provisions in English. Then only, it is translated into Hindi and other languages. The majority of the official communication in courts is in English. During some instances, the judges have asked for the English translation of legal jargon when communicated in Hindi,” he told mediapersons in Pudukottai.
Mr. Chidambaram was referring to the names given to three new Bills — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, 2023; and Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023 — that will replace the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act.
On the one-day hunger strike announced by the DMK on August 20 against the Centre and Governor R.N. Ravi for not giving assent to the NEET Exemption Bill, Mr. Chidambaram said: “It is a fair demand from the State, but the Centre hasn’t been budging even for the State’s genuine demands.”
Asked about Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement that Income Tax revenue had increased since 2014 without any significant hike in the tax rate, he said: “It is common in any economy and there is nothing special about it...”
