Ch 20 – Official Language | Exam Fusion Prep

📖 Constitutional Provision

XVII

Part

343–351

Articles

8th Schedule Langs

Classical Languages

Art 343 Hindi in Devanagari script → Official Language of Union
Art 344 Commission and Committee of Parliament on official language
Art 351 Promotion & development of Hindi language

Background

1955 → 1st Official Language Commission · Chairperson: B.G. Kher Recommended replacement of English with Hindi for official work
1967 → Amendment in Official Language Act English continues in addition to Hindi, subject to statutory conditions for discontinuance

⚠ Exam Trap

Hindi in Devanagari script is the official language of the Union, not a national language. The Constitution does not designate any national language. The Eighth Schedule lists 22 languages.

🏛️ Parliamentary Committee on Official Language

Total Members

From LS

From RS

Function → Review progress of Hindi in government work & give recommendations
1st Joint Parliamentary Committee → November 1957 Chairperson: Govind Ballabh Pant

💡 Quick Recall

Official Language Committee: 20 Lok Sabha + 10 Rajya Sabha members = 30; ratio 2:1. This is not the PAC’s 15:7 ratio.

📜 8th Schedule — 22 Scheduled Languages

Original Constitution — 14 Languages

Assamese Bengali Gujarati Hindi Kannada Kashmiri Malayalam Marathi Odiya Punjabi Sanskrit Tamil Telugu Urdu

Added Later — 8 Languages

Sindhi 21st Amend. 1967 Konkani 71st Amend. 1992 Manipuri 71st Amend. 1992 Nepali 71st Amend. 1992 Bodo 92nd Amend. 2003 Dogri 92nd Amend. 2003 Santhali 92nd Amend. 2003 Maithili 92nd Amend. 2003

⚠ Exam Trap — Amendment-wise Additions

21st Amendment (1967) → Sindhi (1 language). 71st Amendment (1992) → Konkani, Manipuri, Nepali (3 languages). 92nd Amendment (2003) → Bodo, Dogri, Santhali, Maithili (4 languages). Total added = 1+3+4 = 8. Original 14 + 8 = 22.

⚠ Exam Trap

Maithili, a major language of Bihar, and Santhali were among the four languages added to the Eighth Schedule by the 92nd Amendment of 2003.

💡 Quick Recall

English is not listed in the Eighth Schedule, whereas Sanskrit is. Kashmiri and Sindhi are scheduled languages without an exclusive State or Union Territory. UPSC candidates may use a scheduled language as permitted by the examination rules.

🏛️ Classical Languages — 11 after the 3 October 2024 Cabinet decision

Established from 2004 onwards
Based on recommendations from committees formed by Sahitya Akademi
NOT mentioned in the Constitution

Criteria for Classical Language Status

Language must be 1500–2000 years old
Related to Traditional Literature
Availability of Ancient Texts & Literature

Timeline of Classical Language Declarations

2004

Tamil — 1st Classical Language

2005

Sanskrit

2008

Telugu & Kannada

2013

Malayalam

2014

Odia

2024 ⭐ NEW

Pali, Marathi, Prakrit, Assamese, Bengali
(5 languages added in 2024)

⚠ Exam Trap

Tamil = 1st Classical Language (2004). After the 3 October 2024 decision: 11 classical languages. Classical Languages are NOT in Constitution — govt. decision, not constitutional provision. Maithili still NOT a classical language despite being in 8th Schedule.

📊 Classical Languages — Quick Reference

Year	Language(s) Declared Classical	Count
2004	Tamil 🥇 (First!)	1
2005	Sanskrit	1
2008	Telugu, Kannada	2
2013	Malayalam	1
2014	Odia	1
2024 🆕	Pali, Marathi, Prakrit, Assamese, Bengali	5
TOTAL		11

💡 Quick Recall

In 2024, five languages—Pali, Marathi, Prakrit, Assamese and Bengali—were granted classical-language status. This increased the total from six to eleven.

📅 Important Dates — Official Language

14 Sep 1949

Hindi Day

Hindi adopted as Official Language by Constituent Assembly · Celebrated annually on 14th September

10 January

World Hindi Day (Vishwa Hindi Day)

First World Hindi Conference held in Nagpur (1975). Celebrated globally on 10th January.

1955

1st Official Language Commission

Chairperson: B.G. Kher · Recommended replacing English with Hindi for official government work

Nov 1957

1st Joint Parliamentary Committee

Chairperson: Govind Ballabh Pant · Committee formed to examine the first Official Language Commission’s recommendations

1967

Official Language Act Amendment

English continues in addition to Hindi, subject to the Act’s conditions for discontinuance

⚠ Exam Trap — Hindi Day vs World Hindi Day

Hindi Day is observed in India on 14 September, marking the 1949 adoption of Hindi as an official language. World Hindi Day is observed internationally on 10 January. Do not confuse the dates.

📋 Key Articles — Official Language (Part XVII)

Article	Subject
343	Official Language of the Union → Hindi in Devanagari script
344	Commission and Committee of Parliament on official language
345	Official Language of the State
346	Language for communication between States & the Union
348	Language of the Judiciary & Legislation
350(A)	Endeavour to provide mother-tongue instruction at primary stage for children of linguistic minority groups
351	Promotion & development of Hindi language

💡 Quick Recall — Must-Know

Art. 343 — Hindi = Union Official Language. Art. 348 — SC/HC proceedings: English by default, subject to constitutionally and legally permitted exceptions. Art. 351 — Centre's duty to develop Hindi. 8th Schedule — 22 languages (NOT part of Art. 343–351 range but linked).

⚠ Exam Trap

Article 348 makes English the default language for Supreme Court and High Court proceedings, subject to constitutionally and legally permitted exceptions. Do not assume a blanket presidential power to change both courts’ language.

8th Schedule Amendments Summary

Amendment	Year	Languages Added
21st	1967	Sindhi
71st	1992	Konkani, Manipuri, Nepali
92nd	2003	Bodo, Dogri, Santhali, Maithili

🗣️ Official Language