The Bombay High Court on Wednesday held that the Maharashtra government’s rule of mandating shops and establishments to display their names in Marathi (Devanagari script) language was reasonable and rejected a plea challenging it and imposed a cost.
A Division Bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Madhav Jamdar was hearing a petition filed by Federation of Retail Traders challenging an amendment to the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017, mandating the font of the Marathi-Devanagari script cannot be smaller than that of other scripts.
Common language
The Bench rejected the plea and imposed a cost of ₹25,000 on the petitioners and noted: “Public purpose is sought to be achieved by the rule. Marathi maybe the official language of the State government, but it is undeniably the common language and mother tongue of the State. It has rich and diverse cultural heritage extending to literature and theatre. To say that there is some sort of invidious discrimination is wholly untrue. If any retailer wishes to carry out trade in Maharashtra, it shall be subject to condition that the government imposes on all. Clearly no violation of Article 14 (equality before the law) of the Indian Constitution.”
The Bench added: “We are mindful that in some parts of nation, there is practice of using language not other than local script. That is not the case here. No other language is prohibited here. The petition fails to recognise that this requirement is not meant to benefit retail traders, but it is for the benefit of workers and public who approach them. These are persons who are more likely to be familiar with Marathi in Devanagari script.”
