Language debates are unfolding across the country, particularly in the southern states, where language is deeply intertwined with regional identity, cultural heritage, and pride. Supreme Court bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K. Vinod Chandran, while dismissing a petition on Urdu signage, emphasised that language reflects people and communities, not religion.
What Was The Petition filed?
Varshatai Sanjay Bagade, a former councillor from Patur town, filed a petition challenging the use of Urdu on the signboard of the Patur Municipal Council. Bagade argued that under the Maharashtra Local Authorities (Official Languages) Act, 2022, the use of any language other than Marathi for official purposes was not permitted.
What Did The Supreme Court Say?
The Supreme Court rejected the plea, saying that there is no legal bar under the 2022 Act on using Urdu alongside Marathi. In fact, the court highlighted that such use was in line with the Council’s responsibility to serve the linguistic needs of its community. The court said that the plea itself was based on a flawed understanding of language and law.
“Coming to the present case, it must be stated that a Municipal Council is there to provide services to the local community of the area and cater to their immediate day-to-day needs. If people or a group of people, residing within the area covered by the Municipal Council, are familiar with Urdu, then there should not be any objection if Urdu is used in addition to the official language i.e. Marathi, at least on the signboard of the Municipal Council.”
Language Is Not Religion
At the heart of the court’s ruling was a powerful reaffirmation of the idea that language is not tied to religion. The court firmly dismissed the notion that Urdu—often mistakenly associated only with Muslims—is a religious language.
“Language is not religion. Language does not even represent religion. Language belongs to a community, to a region, to people, and not to a religion.”
The bench observed that Urdu, despite being born in India and widely spoken across the country, has often faced resistance based on misconceptions.
“The prejudice against Urdu stems from the misconception that Urdu is alien to India. This opinion, we are afraid, is incorrect as Urdu, like Marathi and Hindi, is an Indo-Aryan language. It is a language which was born in this land,” bench said.
The judges pointed out that the colonial administration played a major role in falsely linking Hindi with Hindus and Urdu with Muslims.
A Tribute To Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb
The court stressed that language reflects culture and civilizational progress. Urdu, as a symbol of Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb, embodies the cultural fusion of northern and central India, primarily serving communication.
The court said, “Language is culture. Language is the yardstick to measure the civilizational march of a community and its people. So is the case of Urdu, which is the finest specimen of ganga-jamuni tahzeeb, or the Hindustani tahzeeb, which is the composite cultural ethos of the plains of northern and central India. But before language became a tool for learning, its earliest and primary purpose will always remain communication.”
Purpose of communication
The court pointed out that the use of Urdu is merely for communication, adding that all the municipal council wanted to do was to make effective communication.
“Before language became a tool for learning, its earliest and primary purpose will always remain communication. The purpose here for the use of Urdu is merely communication. All the Municipal Council wanted to do was to make effective communication.”
Linguistic diversity
The court said: “We must respect and rejoice in our diversity, including our many languages. India has more than hundred major languages.”
The court said India is home to over a hundred major languages and hundreds of dialects or “Mother Tongues.” The 2001 Census recorded 122 major languages, including 22 scheduled languages, and 234 mother tongues, with Urdu being the sixth most spoken. By 2011, the number of mother tongues increased to 270, highlighting the country’s linguistic diversity. Urdu is spoken across most States and Union Territories, excluding some in the northeast.
“Language is a medium for exchange of ideas that brings people holding diverse views and beliefs closer, and it should not become a cause of their division,” the court said.
“Our misconceptions, perhaps even our prejudices against a language, have to be courageously and truthfully tested against the reality, which is this great diversity of our nation. Our strength can never be our weakness. Let us make friends with Urdu and every language.”