A group of advocates have challenged the constitutional validity of the Haryana official language (amendment) Act, 2020. Petitioners contended that the Act ‘arbitrarily’ made Hindi the official language of courts in Haryana. Advocate Sameer Jain, Sandeep Bajaj, Angad Sandhu, Suvigya Awasthi, and Anant Gupta filed the petition before the Supreme Court.
These advocates in courts of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana. Furthermore, they have challenged an Amendment made to Section 3A of the aforesaid Act. Notably, Hindi stands designated as the sole official language mandatorily used in all the civil and criminal courts.
Arguments Advanced
Petitioners contend that, in India, English is a widely spoken language. Moreover, the amendment is violative of Article 14, 19, and 21 of the Indian Constitution. As it creates an unreasonable classification between Hindi and non-Hindi speaking advocates. Furthermore, Haryana is an industrial hub and home to various multi-national companies. Being that, people belonging to different strata reside here; everyone is not fluent in Hindi.
Moreover, to argue and present the matter in Hindi, a high-level of expertise and fluency stands necessitated. Explicitly, this could be problematic for lawyers as it is much more than a simple understanding of the language. In such circumstances, imposing the language is completely irrational. Accordingly, the petitioners have prayed for invalidation of the amendment.
