Official language

Subject: Polity

Context:

The Supreme Court Thursday advised government to amend the Official Languages Act, 1963 to allow publication of official notifications in languages other than Hindi and English.

Concept:

• The constitutional provisions dealing with the language of the courts and legislation are as follows:
  • Until Parliament provides otherwise, the following are to be in the English language only: All proceedings in the Supreme Court and in every high court and the authoritative texts of all bills, acts, ordinances, orders, rules, regulations and byelaws at the Central and state levels.
• However, the governor of a state, with the previous consent of the president, can authorise the use of Hindi or any other official language of the state, in the proceedings in the high court of the state, but not with respect to the judgments, decrees and orders passed by it. In other words, the judgments, decrees and orders of the high court must continue to be in English only (until Parliament otherwise provides).
• Similarly, a state legislature can prescribe the use of any language (other than English) with respect to bills, acts, ordinances, orders, rules, regulations or bye-laws, but a translation of the same in the English language is to be published.