NEW DELHI: If the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation can call Delhi University station “Vishwavidyalaya” and Central Secretariat “Kendriya Sachivalaya”, why, a petitioner wants to know, can’t Supreme Court station be rechristened “Sarvoch Nyayalaya”?
That question—at once linguistic and logistical—is now before the Delhi High Court.
On Thursday, the corporation told a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia that what sounds like a simple change of script carries a price tag: Rs 40 lakh for just one station.
“It comes as a financial burden. One such change is Rs 40-45 lakh per station… It’s a PSU… Besides, changing the name of one station could have a ripple effect, resulting in other similar litigation for other metro stations,” the counsel for the DMRC submitted.
The corporation said the expense would not be limited to a few boards. Apart from the signage at the station, “several other changes, including in the road maps, and mobile applications, would have to be made”. The move, it added, could “create a ripple effect, and expose DMRC to multiple litigations demanding similar reliefs.”
The bench, however, said that “an apprehension of multiple litigation could not be a ground to oppose the plea” and directed DMRC to file its affidavit and posting the matter for further hearing in April.
The PIL was filed by Umesh Sharma, who argued that under the Official Languages Act, all manuals, signages and name plates in Central government offices ought to be in English and Hindi, with Hindi in Devanagari script. His counsel pointed out that even on the Supreme Court’s own website, its Hindi name appears as “Bharat ka Sarvoch Nyayalaya”.
The court then framed the issue: “When the Delhi University metro station’s Hindi name is Vishwavidyalaya, and Central Secretariat station carries Hindi name Kendriya Sachivalaya, why the same cannot be done for Supreme Court station?”