Meghalaya HC seeks Centre, govt stand on 2016 Linguistic Forum proposals
The high court has now asked both the state and the Central governments to provide updates and instructions on the matter before the next hearing.;
A file image of Meghalaya High Court
Shillong, July 2: The Meghalaya High Court has directed the Centre and the state government to file a status report on the implementation of recommendations made by the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in 2016 regarding the development and welfare of linguistic minority communities in the state.
The directive came during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Meghalaya Linguistic Minority Development Forum, which advocates for the rights of non-Khasi and non-Garo speaking communities in the state.
The court acknowledged that while Khasi and Garo are the dominant languages, Meghalaya is also home to sizeable populations who speak Bengali, Nepali, Hindi, Assamese, and other languages.
The Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities had in 2016 recommended translation of official documents into minority languages, creation of language preference registers in schools, and official recognition and support for minority language educational institutions among others.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice I P Mukerji and Justice W Diengdoh asked both the Centre and the state to clarify the current status of the report before the next hearing scheduled for July 10, 2025.
"We direct learned counsel for Union of India and state to take suitable instructions in the matter with regard to the status of the report of the Commissioner dated 29th March, 2016 and report to this court before the returnable date," the order stated.
The petitioner’s counsel also urged the Court to issue directions for the formation of a Board for Linguistic Welfare, which was among the original recommendations.
However, the government’s counsel argued that the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities does not possess conclusive authority, and that any recommendations in the report must be vetted by the President and approved by Parliament before they can be enforced.
The high court has now asked both the state and the Central governments to provide updates and instructions on the matter before the next hearing.
With inputs from PTI