OFFICIAL LANGUAGES

Languages of the Union

Article 343:
Official Language of the Union → Hindi (written in Devanagari script).
Official Language Commission:
B.G. Kher Commission, 1956.

State Legislature can adopt any one or more languages as the official language of the state.
Until then, English remains the official language of the state.
Choice is not limited to languages in the Eighth Schedule.
Article 347:
President can recognize any language spoken by a substantial proportion of the population as an official language in that state.

Article 348:
Until Parliament provides otherwise, English remains the language for:
- All proceedings of the Supreme Court and High Courts.
- All bills, texts, and by-laws of the Centre and States.
Governor, with the consent of the President, can authorize the use of Hindi or any other official language in High Court proceedings.
Exceptions: Judgments and orders must remain in English (Parliament’s jurisdiction).
State Legislature can prescribe any language for bills, acts, and by-laws.

Article 350:
Right to representation in any language used in the Union or State.
Article 350A:
States and local authorities must provide primary education in the mother tongue for linguistic minority children.
7th Constitutional Amendment (CAA) → President can issue directives to ensure implementation.
Article 350B:
Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities.
Article 351:
Duty of the Union to promote and develop Hindi as the Lingua Franca of India.

Established under the Official Language Act (1963).
Objective:
Review progress in the use of Hindi for official purposes of the Union.
Composition:
30 members → 20 from Lok Sabha + 10 from Rajya Sabha.
Chairperson: Elected by members (traditionally Home Minister).
Secretariat: Subordinate office under the Department of Official Language (Ministry of Home Affairs).