‘Municipal Council Signboards Can Feature Any Language Alongside Marathi’: HC

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court held that there is no restriction on the inclusion of signboards for municipal councils in any language alongside the state’s official language Marathi.

A division bench comprising Justices Avinash Gharote and M S Jawalkar dismissed a petition filed seeking the removal of a signboard from the Patur Municipal Council that displayed the civic body’s name in Urdu alongside Marathi.

The court affirmed, “There is no prohibition on the use of any language, in addition to the official language.”

Varsha Bagde, the petitioner, urged the court to direct the chairman of the Akola District Marathi Language Committee to promptly act against the usage of Urdu on the Patur Municipal Council’s signboard.

Bagde contended that any language apart from Marathi on the signboards of civic authorities was prohibited under the Maharashtra Local Authorities (Official Languages) Act, 2022.

The court clarified that the provisions of the Act only mandate that the business and affairs of the council be conducted in Marathi, including the script.

“Insofar as the erection of signboard and display of the name of the municipal council is concerned, it does not prohibit the use of an additional language, to display the name, in addition to the name being displayed in Marathi,” the order stated.

The court further held that the utilization of an additional language to display the name of the municipal council on its building would not signify any violation of the Act.

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