A conversation with AI: Navigating the language of law in India's courts

How do linguistic structures impact legal clarity and precision? And what are the main challenges to transitioning our courts from English to indigenous languages?
A conversation with AI: Navigating the language of law in India's courts
Mohan V Katarki

Mohan V. Katarki is a designated Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of India, New Delhi (mohankatarki@gmail.com). He is an expert in Transboundary Water Law.

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Editor’s note: Artificial intelligence’s fascinating intervention into law could just be disruptive, and thinking, writing about this is critical at this moment. AI is also, curiously, emerging as an instrument through which we can think more deeply about conundrums of legal thought and dealing with the complex legal framework in India. In this experimental piece, we get a glimpse into a conversation between senior advocate Mohan V. Katarki and Google’s Gemini AI on how India’s multilingual culture intersects with bold, anglican language of the law. In the fascinating discussion that follows, we note that in the backdrop of much fervour over the imposition of the Hindi language, the project of transitioning our courts from English to Indian languages will depend heavily on the technicalities of language. For instance, if laws written in Indian languages lack clarity because of absence of auxiliary verbs and because of verb coming at the end of sentence, it may contribute to litigation in our already overburdened courts.

THE “ART OF DRAFTING LAWS” is a specialised discipline that  transforms abstract policy into concrete, enforceable legal texts.  In a recent illuminating discussion, Senior Advocate Mohan Katarki engaged with Google Gemini AI to explore the nuances  of this art, particularly in the context of India's multilingual legal  system. The conversation honed in on how linguistic structures profoundly impact legal clarity and precision, revealing key  challenges in transitioning from English to Indian languages like  Hindi and Kannada. 

The foundational principles of legal language 

Both Mr. Katarki and Gemini emphasised that effective legal  drafting demands clarity, precision, conciseness, consistency, coherence, and legal soundness. The ultimate goal is to create  laws that are unambiguous and easily comprehensible to all  stakeholders, from legal practitioners to the general public. 

At its philosophical root, if law is conceived as a "command,"  then that command must be clear and easily identifiable to be just and effective. Ambiguity undermines its purpose, leading to misinterpretation and arbitrary enforcement. Laws serve both  prohibitive forbidding actions, e.g., "thou shalt not steal") and  permissive (granting rights or allowances, e.g., "citizens have  the right to free speech") functions. Interestingly, even  seemingly declarative legal provisions—such as definitions— implicitly carry prohibitive and permissive force. For example,  defining "contract" implicitly prohibits agreements not meeting  specified criteria from being legally binding. 

The English "Shall" and "May": A standard of precision 

The core of the linguistic challenge surfaced with the English auxiliary verbs "shall" and "may." In legal English, "shall" is typically interpreted as mandatory obligation or prohibition, allowing no discretion. Conversely, "may" invariably denotes  permission, discretion, or power. This linguistic exactitude has been meticulously developed and legally cemented over centuries within common law jurisdictions, forming a unique and  highly specialized "legal register." 

The Indian language conundrum: Lack of direct  equivalents 

Mr. Katarki aptly pointed out that Hindi and Kannada, like many other languages, lack single-word direct equivalents that carry the same rigid, legally enshrined connotations as "shall" and  "may." Instead, these languages convey similar concepts  through:

  • Modal auxiliaries and suffixes: For instance, Hindi employs  chaahiye (should), paṛnaa (have to), and saknaa (can/may), while Kannada uses suffixes like -bēku  (must/should) and -bahudu (may/can). 

  • Verb compounding and vector verbs: These add layers of  meaning, indicating completion, direction, or  benefactive/detrimental aspects (e.g., Hindi's ‘le lenaa’ to  signify taking completely). 

  • Explicit phrases: Direct statements such as "it is  mandatory" or "it is permitted" are also utilized to ensure  clarity. 

The challenge isn't the inability of these languages to express  such concepts, but rather the absence of a deeply standardized  and universally accepted "legal register" for these terms, akin to  that which has evolved for "shall" and "may" in English. This  necessitates meticulous and consistent drafting practices,  coupled with ongoing judicial interpretation, to build legal  certainty. 

Word order: A fundamental grammatical difference 

Beyond specific auxiliary verbs, the discussion highlighted a  more fundamental linguistic obstacle: word order. English is an  SVO (Subject-Verb-Object) language, placing the verb early in  the sentence (e.g., "The judge dismissed the case"). In contrast,  Hindi and Kannada are SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) languages,  where the verb appears at the end of the sentence (e.g.,  "न्यायाधीश नेमामलेको खारिज कि दिया").This SOV structure presents unique challenges in legal drafting: 

* Delayed Comprehension: Readers must process an entire  clause, including all objects and modifiers, before  encountering the core action or command. In complex legal  sentences with multiple conditions and exceptions, this can  significantly increase cognitive load and hinder immediate  understanding. 

* Ambiguity in Modifiers: Placing the verb at the end can  make it harder to ascertain the precise scope of negations  or modal expressions that precede it, potentially leading to  misinterpretations. 

* Structuring Provisos: Integrating common legal elements  like provisos ("Provided that...") or exceptions ("unless...")  becomes more intricate when the main verb concludes the  sentence, often resulting in lengthy and convoluted  constructions if not handled expertly. 

Legal drafters trained in the SVO English style may inadvertently  mimic these structures when drafting in SOV Indian languages,  leading to awkward and unclear legal prose. 

A balancing act of precision and accessibility 

The linguistic differences, particularly the nuances of expressing  obligation/discretion and the fundamental word order variations,  are indeed significant factors in India's ongoing reliance on  English in its legal system. They underscore the immense value placed on the precision and established clarity offered by the  English legal lexicon.

However, these linguistic features do not render Indian  languages incapable of legal clarity. Rather, they demand  different, often more explicit, and culturally adapted drafting  methodologies. The challenge is systemic: to develop a robust,  standardized legal register in Indian languages, complemented  by comprehensive training for legal professionals in these  specialized drafting techniques. While the road to a full transition  is long and complex, requiring careful consideration of historical  legacy, vast legal precedents, and practical administrative  hurdles, acknowledging and strategically addressing these  linguistic particularities is a crucial step towards making law truly  accessible to all.

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