Kannada in government correspondence: Karnataka High Court dismisses plea seeking to make it mandatory

Also Read: People living in Karnataka should learn Kannada: CM Siddaramaiah

The petition

Not finding any merit in the PIL, a bench of Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind rejected the PIL filed by one Gurunath Vadde.

“While the Kannada language which is the local language in the state has to be promoted and to be given importance, that itself will not justify entertaining the present public interest litigation, by directing the government and its officials to use the Kannada language,” the bench said, according to LiveLaw.

The petitioner’s lawyer said that people living in rural areas understand only Kannada and therefore when they receive government correspondence, they should be allowed to communicate with the officials in Kannada since they were otherwise facing difficulties.

However, the government counsel noted that there has been extensive use of the Kannada language in governmental affairs, correspondence and other communications.

“Wherever it is necessary, the use of the English language in addition to the Kannada language cannot be disbanded. There can be no universal formula as to whether one language should only be used in governmental affairs,” the court said.

“While the Kannada language which is the local language in the state has to be promoted and to be given importance, that itself will not justify entertaining the present public interest litigation, by directing the government and its officials to use the Kannada language,” it added.

The court also hoped that “government and officers shall as far as possible use the Kannada language which would go to subserve the culture and people of Karnataka”.

‘Petition against Lokayukta’s communication’

Meanwhile, petitioner Gurunath Vadde told South First that he made the plea after he received a communication from the state Lokayukta in English, a language he could not understand.

“I had filed a PIL against Karnataka Lokayukta before the High Court, seeking to direct the authority to communicate in the Kannada language while serving notices and orders to the public,” Vadde said.

“I had filed a complaint before the Lokayukta. They had sent a notice in English. I don’t know English. Like me, there are several people, especially from rural areas who file complaints before the Lokayukta,” he added.

“If the Lokayukta communicates only in English, how will people from rural areas have to read or understand it? Hence, I had filed a PIL seeking the court directions to Lokayukta to conduct its business in Kannada instead of English,” elaborated the petitioner.

“I had also raised this matter before the Kannada Development Authority and the state government. They had written a letter to the Karnataka Lokayukta BS Patil to communicate in the Kannada language. There is an order from the government to use Kannada in the administration. When will they implement it?” questioned Vadde.

He further said that the court has disposed of the case but has directed the Lokayukta to utilise Kannada wherever necessary.

“The court has directed Lokayukta to communicate in Kannada. We have no qualms over its use of English but while communicating with common people, they must use Kannada,” added the petitioner.

‘All should learn Kannada’

Speaking after performing ‘bhoomi puja’ for the construction of a 25-foot-tall bronze statue of Nada Devi Bhuvaneshwari on the premises of Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on 20 June, the chief minister said speaking one’s mother tongue should be a matter of pride.

“A vow must be made that no language other than Kannada is spoken in the state. Kannadigas are generous. That is why there is an environment in Karnataka where even those who speak other languages can live without learning Kannada. The same situation cannot be seen in Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Kerala. They speak only in their mother tongue,” he pointed out.

Calling on Kannadigas to speak in their mother tongue, Siddaramaiah said there is no need to feel inferior about it.

“We also have to speak in our mother tongue. That should make us proud…” he added.

Asking people living in Karnataka to learn Kannada, the chief minister said, “It is the duty of all of us to create a Kannada atmosphere. For that, all the people living here should learn Kannada. We cannot remain silent like that. Kannadigas are not insolent. But love for Kannada should be developed.”

“We should not become like the bigots in other states. But we should develop respect and admiration for our language, land and country,” he said.

Also Read: Bill mandating 60% Kannada on sign boards passed in Karnataka Assembly

Kannada Language Act

Earlier, the government had enacted the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development (Amendment) Act, 2024 on 15 February which stipulates that 60 percent of the signage or nameplates in the state should be in Kannada.

The amendment Bill, which is now an Act, made provision to ensure that the name boards of commercial, industrial and business undertakings, trusts, counselling centres, hospitals, laboratories, amusement centres and hotels, among others, functioning with the approval and sanction of the government or local authorities, display 60 percent in the Kannada language.

However, the Karnataka High Court restrained the state government from taking any precipitative action against commercial establishments that failed to adhere to the rule that required 60 percent of the signboard to be in Kannada and said the matter required further consideration.

A single-judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna on 18 March, observed that the Karnataka government’s rule under the recently passed law is prima facie “untenable”.

(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Mahesh M Goudar)

(South First is now on WhatsApp and Telegram)