States free to add official language: SC

Asserting people’s right to linguistic freedom, the Supreme Court has held that there is no bar against a State Legislature declaring a language used in the State as an official language for the convenience of its citizens.

This means that a widely-used language in a State, once declared an official language by the State Legislature, would find a place in official communications, advertisements and even signposts.

A Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India R.M. Lodha and comprising Justices Dipak Misra, Madan B. Lokur, Kurian Joseph and S.A. Bobde passed the order on a petition by U.P. Hindi Sahitya Sammelan against the 1989 amendment to the Uttar Pradesh Official Language Act, 1951.

The U.P. Legislature had introduced Urdu as the second official language of the State, besides Hindi, “in the interest of the Urdu-speaking people”.

The Bench upheld the 1989 amendment and declared Urdu as the State’s “second official language.”