rupees. That’s $213. For a book! In India! And, if you want to buy one outside of India, the foreign price is 1.4 lahkh rupees. $2000. For a mandatory building code!
One would think it is obvious that these documents, which have the force of law and govern the safety of our society should be available, but all over the world these public safety laws have been sold under onerous terms and caviar prices. This is a global problem, a problem that reaches beyond partisan politics and political divisions.
I set out 10 years ago to change this situation, and it has been a long journey. In India, we presented our case for more open distribution of these government documents in a formal petition to the Ministry. I was joined in this petition with affidavits from Sam, from Vint Cerf—the father of the Internet—and by distinguished engineering professors throughout India.
When the petition was turned down, we presented ourselves to the Honorable High Court of Delhi in New Delhi in a public interest litigation suit which is ongoing. I am joined as petitioner by two of my colleagues in India, Mr. Srinivas Kodali, a transportation engineer and Dr. Sushant Sinha, the creator of Indian Kanoon, the free, public system that provides access to all court opinions and all laws.
We are represented before the High Court by Mr. Nishith Desai and his firm, and by the Honorable Salman Khurshid, the former Minister of Law and former Minister of External Affairs. I am very pleased that Mr. Desai is here with us tonight.
Availability of the law is not just a question for India, it is a global challenge. We have a similar suit in the Court of Appeals in the United States, and in Europe we are fighting in the courts of Germany for the right of citizens to read and post EU-mandated safety standards. For our United States case we are represented in the District of Columbia by EFF and Fenwick & West and I am pleased that Mitch Stoltz of EFF is also in the audience tonight.
What is remarkable in this global legal campaign is that all of the lawyers are working on a pro bono basis, working for free, including Mr. Desai and Mr. Khurshid. There are nine law firms throughout the world assisting us in petitioning our governments, contributing tens of thousands of hours in free legal help.
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