‘Even If They Know English, Many Don’t Want To...’: SC On Language Barriers In Kerala Courts

Key points

• ‘Even If They Know English, Many Don’t Want To...’: SC On Language Barriers In Kerala Courts Published By, Last Updated: May 21, 2026, 19:53 IST Supreme Court highlights 'language difficulties' in Kerala courts, allows transfer of a UK-based wife’s matrimonial and custody case from Kerala to Ludhiana.
• A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta was hearing a plea seeking transfer of matrimonial and custody proceedings from Kerala to Punjab.
• (PTI/File) The Supreme Court on Thursday observed that language accessibility in courts cannot be taken for granted while pointing out that in Kerala “even if they know English, they don’t want to speak".
• A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta was hearing a plea seeking transfer of matrimonial and custody proceedings from Kerala to Punjab.
• The couple were married in 2017 and later shifted to the UK in 2023. However, after matrimonial disputes the husband...