First Urdu law dictionary released today

'Kanoon Lugat', an Urdu law dictionary, billed as a first of its kind in the country, was released in Mumbai on Sunday in the presence of legal luminaries. The dictionary, encompassing 52,000 legal terms, has been translated in Urdu for the first time, said chief translator and Supreme Court advocate Muhammad Irshad Hanif, at a function in Mumbai. Advocate Hanif has also translated Indian Penal Code and Indian Evidence Act in Urdu, besides publishing two books 'Taziraat-e-Hind' and 'Qanoon Shahadat-e-Hind'. The Urdu legal dictionary 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 mediapersons in Mumbai. 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 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. With these books, the litigants would be more empowered with correct knowledge of the laws and would be in a better position to understand their lawyers, rights and liabilities, as well as the legal proceedings in the courts, he added. PTI