"Supreme Court Declines PIL Seeking Hindi as Court Language"
Public Interest Litigation (PIL)
a case filed in court on behalf of the public interest, not a personally aggrieved individual
Writ of mandamus
a court order directing a public authority to perform a legal duty it has failed to do
India's Constitution does not name any single national language. Article 343 says that Hindi in Devanagari script is the official language of the Union. It also allowed English to continue for official purposes for fifteen years from 1950. Parliament could have changed this, but it did not. Parliament later passed the Official Languages Act, 1963. This Act kept English as a 'subsidiary official language' alongside Hindi. Non-Hindi-speaking regions resisted a single language. They feared one language would dominate a deeply multilingual country.
To protect this diversity, the Constitution lists languages in the Eighth Schedule. Today it names 22 scheduled languages. The 71st Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 added Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali to this list. This widened the set of languages recognised for official and examination purposes. This schedule matters because courts and legislatures refer to it. They use it when regional-language use is debated. The judiciary follows its own separate constitutional rule.
Article 348(1)(a) requires English for all Supreme Court and High Court proceedings. This rule stays in place until Parliament enacts a law providing otherwise. Parliament has never passed such a law. So English remains the default language of record for both courts. This is a deliberate constitutional choice, not an oversight. A common language was seen as necessary for consistency. The judiciary has judges and lawyers from many linguistic backgrounds.
However, Article 348(2) creates a narrow exception for High Courts. It allows a Governor, with the President's prior consent, to authorise Hindi or another State's official language in High Court proceedings. …
The Constitution (71st Amendment) Act, 1992 amends the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution to include which of the following languages?
1.Konkani
2.Manipuri
3.Nepali
4.Maithili
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Consider the following statements regarding Article 348 of the Constitution of India:
1.It prescribes English as the language for proceedings in the Supreme Court and every High Court, unless Parliament provides otherwise by law.
2.A Governor may, with the prior consent of the President, authorise the use of Hindi or another regional language in High Court proceedings.
3.Such authorisation extends to judgments, decrees and orders of the High Court.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Match List-I (Constitutional/Statutory provision) with List-II (What it provides) and select the correct answer using the code given below:
List-I
A.Article 343
B.Article 348(1)(a)
C.Article 348(2)
D.Section 7, Official Languages Act, 1963
List-II
1.Allows Hindi/regional language in High Court proceedings with Presidential consent, excluding judgments
2.Prescribes English for Supreme Court and High Court proceedings until Parliament provides otherwise
3.Declares Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of the Union
4.Permits judgments in Hindi/state language if an authoritative English translation accompanies them
With reference to the Supreme Court's position on the language of its proceedings, consider the following statements:
1.In Madhu Limaye v. Ved Murti (1970), the Court held that English is the language of the Supreme Court.
2.The Supreme Court can be directed by a writ of mandamus to change the language of its proceedings.
3.SUVAS is an AI-based tool used to translate Supreme Court judgments into regional languages.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Which of the following High Courts currently permit the use of Hindi in proceedings under Section 7 of the Official Languages Act, 1963?
Consider the following statements about the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India:
1.It currently lists 22 scheduled languages.
2.The Constitution (71st Amendment) Act, 1992 added Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali to it.
3.Inclusion in the Eighth Schedule automatically makes a language the official language of the Union.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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