Official Languages of India

Constitutional Provisions

The Constitution deals with Official Languages under Part XVII (Articles 343–351). It lays down provisions regarding:

• Official Language of the Union
• Official Languages of States
• Language of the Judiciary
• Language of Communication between the Union and States
• Special Directives for the Development of Hindi

Official Language of the Union (Article 343)

Official Language

• The Official Language of the Union is Hindi written in the Devanagari Script.

Official Numerals

• The International Form of Indian Numerals (0–9) is used for all official purposes of the Union.

Use of English

• The Constitution originally provided that English would continue to be used for 15 years from the commencement of the Constitution (i.e., until 26 January 1965).
• However, under the Official Languages Act, 1963 (as amended in 1967), English continues to be used indefinitely along with Hindi for the official purposes of the Union.

Exam Note: English did not cease in 1965. It continues as an Associate Official Language.

Official Languages Act, 1963

The Act provides that:

• Hindi shall be the Official Language of the Union.
• English shall continue for:
  
  • Official communication of the Union.
  • Parliamentary proceedings.
  • Communication between the Union and non-Hindi-speaking States.
  • Communication between States where required.

The 1967 Amendment ensured the continued use of English without any time limit.

Official Language Commission (Article 344)

Appointment

• The President constitutes an Official Language Commission:
  
  • Five years after the commencement of the Constitution, and
  • Thereafter whenever considered necessary.

First Official Language Commission

• Appointed: 1955
• Chairman: B.G. Kher

Functions

The Commission makes recommendations regarding:

• Progressive use of Hindi.
• Restriction of the use of English.
• Language to be used in:
  
  • Union administration
  • Judiciary
  • Parliamentary proceedings
• Development of Hindi as a medium for expressing modern knowledge.

Committee of Parliament on Official Language (Article 344)

A Parliamentary Committee consisting of 30 Members examines the recommendations of the Official Language Commission.

Composition

• 20 Members from the Lok Sabha
• 10 Members from the Rajya Sabha

The Committee submits its report to the President.

Official Language of States (Article 345)

The Legislature of a State may adopt:

• • Any one or more languages used in the State, or
  • Hindi

as the Official Language of that State.

Until such a law is made, English continues to be used for official purposes.

Communication Between States and the Union (Articles 346 & 347)

Article 346

Communication between:

• • One State and another State, or
  • A State and the Union,

shall ordinarily be in:

• Hindi, or
• English, where Hindi is not used.

Article 347

If a substantial section of the population of a State demands recognition of a language, the President may direct that such language be officially recognised for specified purposes.

Language of the Supreme Court & High Courts (Article 348)

Unless Parliament provides otherwise:

The language of:

• • Supreme Court proceedings
  • High Court proceedings
  • Authoritative texts of Bills
  • Acts of Parliament
  • State Acts
  • Ordinances
  • Rules, Regulations and Bye-laws

shall be English.

Use of Regional Languages in High Courts

A Governor, with the previous consent of the President, may authorize the use of Hindi or any other State Official Language in High Court proceedings.

Important: The Authoritative Text of Judgments, Decrees and Orders continues to be in English unless otherwise provided by Parliament.

Special Directive for Development of Hindi (Article 351)

The Constitution directs the Union Government to:

• Promote the spread of Hindi.
• Develop Hindi as a medium of expression for the composite culture of India.
• Enrich Hindi by drawing vocabulary primarily from:
  
  • Sanskrit
  • Other Indian languages.

Eighth Schedule of the Constitution

The Eighth Schedule contains the Scheduled Languages of India.

These languages receive:

• • Representation in the Official Language Commission.
  • Government support for their development and promotion.
  • Recognition in various competitive examinations and official functions.

Languages in the Eighth Schedule (22)

1. 1. Assamese
   2. Bengali
   3. Bodo
   4. Dogri
   5. Gujarati
   6. Hindi
   7. Kannada
   8. Kashmiri
   9. Konkani
   10. Maithili
   11. Malayalam
   12. Manipuri (Meitei)
   13. Marathi
   14. Nepali
   15. Odia
   16. Punjabi
   17. Sanskrit
   18. Santali
   19. Sindhi
   20. Tamil
   21. Telugu
   22. Urdu

Constitutional Amendments Related to the Eighth Schedule

Privileges of Eighth Schedule Languages

The languages included in the Eighth Schedule:

• • Are represented in the Official Language Commission.
  • Receive Government support for their development.
  • Can be used in examinations conducted by UPSC and other recruitment agencies, subject to applicable rules.
  • Are promoted through institutions such as the Sahitya Akademi and various language development programmes.

Exam Note: Inclusion in the Eighth Schedule does not automatically make a language an Official Language of the Union or of any State.

Official Language vs National Language

Important: India does not have any National Language. This is a frequently asked UPSC/APSC question.

Official Language vs Scheduled Language

Important Constitutional Articles