Key Indian Criminal Laws Now Available In Urdu

Mumbai: For the first time in India, key criminal laws as well as a dictionary of legal terms have been made available in Urdu.

The "Taziraat-e-Hind" or the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the "Qanoon Shahadat-e-Hind" or the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, are an authentic translated version and bear the laws in Urdu both in Persian and Devnagri scripts, said the chief translator, Muhammad Irshad Hanif.

The translations have been brought out by a New Delhi-based publishing house, along with a broadbased legal dictionary, billed as the first of its kind in the country, and encompassing over 52,000 legal terms. It was also released recently.

"It has a foreword written by Chief Justice of India Altamas Kabir. Though the dictionary is focused on the Indian legal system, it will have wide usage even in the international sphere," Hanif said.

"Justice (retd.) Markandey Katju has been very kind enough to pen a foreword for the translations of the laws, which has been a matter of great encouragement," Hanif told IANS.

Top criminal lawyer Majeed Memon said these three translations would greatly benefit the legal fraternity.

"In my four decades in the legal career, I have never come across any law books in Urdu and this should help us all," Memon said.

Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra legal panel member, lawyer Shahid N. Ansari said this is the first time that the line-to-line translation of the two laws is available in Urdu.

"It will immensely help the legal fraternity, especially the litigants to understand the legal nuances in their cases in courts," Ansari said.

Also Read: Does India Need To Change Its Juvenile Law?