MARGAO: Arguing passionately for linguistic rights, lawyer and former MLA Adv Radharao Gracias asserted on Saturday that every citizen has a right to access legal knowledge in their native language, as he demanded that all law books be published in Konkani.
He accused both the State and Central governments of failing to translate laws and law books into Konkani before enforcing them. Adv Gracias also referred to the ‘Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)’ and criticised the government, stating that while it is a good initiative, its implementation has resulted in injustice and discrimination against Goa and its official language, Konkani.
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He highlighted concerns that the laws under BNS may not have been adequately translated into Konkani, thereby undermining the linguistic rights of Goan residents.
“A new app has been launched, but what I’ve noticed is that these laws are available in Marathi, Tamil, Hindi, and various other languages included in the 8th Schedule, but not in Konkani. This is completely discriminatory. Konkani is on the 8th Schedule. The general law worldwide is that every citizen has the right to know the law in their own language. Why not in Goa, if laws are available in every other State with their respective languages?” he questioned.
He further emphasised that it is the duty of the government to prepare laws in Konkani and then enforce them uniformly across the country.
“Konkani versions of all these laws should be immediately made available to the Goans. It discriminates against Goans. Why this discrimination? Books of laws must be published in Konkani as well. The BJP government seems to be opposed to Goa and the Konkani language,” alleged Adv Gracias.
On the other hand, reacting to the issue, Anthony Fernandes, a Konkani enthusiast from Salcete, highlighted that the lack of knowledge about laws leads to significant confusion among the common people.
“With Konkani being the official language of Goa, the government or the concerned department is duty-bound to translate all these laws and law-related books into Konkani in the interest of the public,” he demanded.
Fernandes reiterated that it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that legal information is accessible to all citizens in their native language, especially considering Konkani’s status as Goa’s official language.
