Cuttack: A national conference on “Judicial History and Archiving” has been organized by the High Court of Orissa in the Odisha Judicial Academy, Cuttack on 15th and 16th July, 2023. Judicial History of Odisha and the importance of archiving the judicial records is the focal point of the Conference. Eminent historians and scholars from across the country and students of various educational institutions are participating in the conference.
The conference was inaugurated on 14th July, 2023 by Justice Shripathi Ravindra Bhat, Judge, Supreme Court of India in the presence of Professor Partha Chatterjee, Professor Emeritus of Enthropology and of Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies, Dr. Justice S. Muralidhar, Chief Justice, High Court of Orissa, the Judges of the High Court of Orissa.
A book titled “Judicial History of Odisha, Volume-I” published by the Centre for Judicial Archives of the High Court of Orissa was released on the occasion by Justice Bhat and Professor Chatterjee. The book is divided into three parts – Ancient Period, The Tribes of Odisha and Their Customary Laws and The Medieval Period. It traces the judicial history upto the beginning of the period when the East India Company began its operation in India, and in Odisha in particular. The second volume will be on the period following, upto independence.
Delivering the welcome address in the inaugural function Justice Debabrata Dash said archiving of judicial records is a historic step by the High Court of Orissa. Highlighting the need of archiving of judicial records he said spreading of knowledge through preservation of history has a significant role to play in the betterment and development of the nation and preservation of judicial history gives a sense of identity and continuity of past history and culture for future generations. Justice Dash thanked Chief Justice Dr. S. Muralidhar for conceiving the idea of establishing the Centre for Judicial Archives.
Speaking on the occasion Dr. Justice S. Muralidhar said the record rooms of the High Court and the District Courts of Odisha provided the impetus to think of archiving and the judicial history project. He informed that during his visits to the record rooms across the state and more particularly the record room of Berhampur he could know about presence of judicial records of the early 19th century which he found serendipitous.
Justice Muralidhar said that discovery of such old records led to conception of archiving, research and the Judicial History of Odisha. He appreciated the quick response and support of the State Government in establishment of the Centre for Judicial Archives. Dr. Muralidhar said the centre is a good example of interdisciplinary collaboration and expressed hope that other High Courts start similar project. Stressing upon the need of archiving of judicial records he said that the judicial records tell us many stories on law and society, politics in law, economics in law and so on.
Professor Partha Chatterjee elaborately discussed the significance of archiving the judicial records and its advantages. Expressing his disagreement with the notion that all the laws having colonial roots should be discarded, Professor Chatterjee said that a colonial law or system is retained or discarded after evaluating its effect on the political and social lives of the country. He said, to understand why we have retained some colonial features while we got rid of others, we have to look at how the colonial system function from top to the local level, and for that the summary accounts we get in High Court judgments are not sufficient. He added, actual judicial archives are the invaluable source for evaluating the effects of the colonial laws. Professor Chatterjee further added, judicial archives helps in tracing the history of religious orders and sects, social history of genders, information on the condition of the princely states etc.
He said, judicial archives have been of great interest not only for the legal historians but also for the social historians.
Delivering the keynote address Justice Shripathi Ravindra Bhat, Judge, Supreme Court of India congratulated Chief Justice Dr. Muralidhar for championing the herculean effort of archiving judicial records. He termed the judicial history project undertaken by the High Court of Orissa as a pioneering step and said that it has set high standards for others to follow. Discussing on the significance of legal history, Justice Bhat said that the legal history is far more multifaceted than it is perceived and it gives insights into many valuable information. Justice Bhat specially mentioned about the contribution of Odisha to the freedom struggle and said that the immense contribution of Odisha has remained unnoticed in other parts of the country. He expressed hope that the research undertaken by the Centre for Judicial Archives would unravel many other inspiring stories.
Dr. Justice Sanjeeb Kumar Panigrahi, Judge, High Court of Orissa extended the vote of thanks.
The conference will be concluded on 16th July, 2023. This is said to be the first of its kind in the country where historians have been invited from across the country by the High Court.