‘Urdu not alien to India’: Indian top court upholds municipal use of language
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A man walks inside the premises of the Supreme Court in New Delhi, India, July 17, 2018. — Reuters
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The Indian Supreme Court recently retained the use of Urdu on the sign board of the Municipal Council building in Maharashtra, in which an important decision to emphasize linguistic and cultural diversity in the country.
A bench comprising Justice Sadhanshu Dhulia and Kin Vinod Chandran has firmly said that “language is culture” and it should not be a cause for division, and Urdu should not be highlighted as “the best model of Ganga-Jamuni civilization or Indian civilization.”
According to the Indian Express, the Indian Apex Court rejected the petition filed by a former councilor challenging the use of Urdu on the sign board of the Pator Municipal Council Building in Akola district of Maharashtra.
The bench refused to intervene in the Bombay High Court earlier that the Maharashtra local authorities (official languages) Act, 2022, or any other existing law were not prohibited from using Urdu.
Writing a verdict for the bench, Dholia stated that the views of the court generally on Urdu and languages emphasize the re -evaluation of potential bias.
The SC emphasized, “Our misunderstandings, perhaps even our prejudices against any language, have to be examined with courage and truth against the truth, which is a great diversity of our nation: our power can never be our weakness. Let us befriend Urdu and every language.”
The court directly focused on the misconception that Urdu is a stranger to India, “firmly saying that” this is a language born in this land “.
Dholia explained, “Language is not religion. Language does not represent religion. Language belongs to one community, one region, people belong to people and not to any religion.”
The court emphasized the basic work of the language as a communication, saying: “Before becoming a source of language learning, its initial and primary purpose will always be communication … The purpose of the use of Urdu here is merely communication.
“All the municipal council wanted to have effective communication. This is the main purpose of a language, which the Bombay High Court has emphasized.”
Linguistic diversity
The Indian SC has moved forward to clarify the country’s widespread linguistic diversity, citing census data since 2001, which recorded 122 large languages and 234 mother tongues, Urdu is mostly the sixth most spoken schedule in India.
The 2011 census increased the number of mother tongue to 270 (keeping in view 10,000 speakers), suggesting that the actual number could be in the thousands.
Addressing the historical context, the court noted that “prejudice against Urdu arises from the misconception that Urdu is a stranger to India, making it clear that Urdu, Marathi and Hindi, like Hindi, is a Hindi language that is developed in India because of the need for interfaith cultural communication.”
This Jodium said, “During the centuries, he … gained more and more and became the language of choice for many famous poets.”
The court also pointed out that “Adalat” (court), “Halafanama” (affidavit), and “Pashi” (before the court), citing examples, everyday Hindi and even Indian legal prejudice, as well as the use of “Walking of Power” (Power of Power).
He also said that several Indian states and central areas have adopted Urdu as the second official language.
“When we criticize Urdu, we are also criticizing Hindi in a way, because according to expert linguists and literary scholars, Urdu and Hindi are not two languages, but one language.”
The court said, “Under Article 343 of the Constitution, Hindi is the official language, while the use of English was made justified for official purposes for a 15 -year period.
“But that does not mean that Indians and Urdu have disappeared. It was never intended for the constitution framers.”
“Even today, the language used by the common people of the country is filled with Urdu language words, even if no one is aware of it.”
Finally, keeping the High Court’s theory, the SC Bench concluded that the municipal council has to serve its local community, using Urdu on the official language (Marathi) as well as Urdu on a sign board, is a matter of effective communication and if any section of the population is aware of it.
The bench firmly said, “Language is a means of exchange of ideas that brings people closer to diverse ideas and beliefs and should not cause their division.”
