Varshatai v. State of Maharashtra: Supreme Court Upholds Use of Urdu as Additional Language

Introduction

In Varshatai v. The State of Maharashtra (2025 INSC 486), the Supreme Court delivered a significant judgment upholding India's linguistic diversity by ruling that the use of Urdu as an additional language on municipal signboards does not violate Maharashtra's official language laws.

Facts of the Case

The appellant objected to a signboard of the Municipal Council, Patur in Akola district displaying text in both Marathi and Urdu. She contended that since Marathi was the official language of Maharashtra, the use of Urdu was impermissible under the Maharashtra Local Authorities (Official Languages) Act, 2022.

The Court's Analysis

Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, writing for the bench, emphasized several key points:

• Language as Communication Tool: The Act recognizes that language is essentially a tool for effective communication
• Cultural Representation: Urdu represents the composite cultural ethos or 'ganga-jamuni tehzeeb' of India
• Constitutional Tolerance: Article 351 emphasizes spreading Hindi by assimilating expressions from various languages

Historical Context

The Court noted that Urdu is an Indo-Aryan language that developed in India due to the need for different cultures to communicate. Indian courts themselves use numerous Urdu terms like 'adalat', 'halafnama', 'vakalatnama', 'peshi', and 'dasti'.

Significance

This judgment reinforces constitutional values of tolerance and celebrates India's position as the world's most multilingual country with over 122 major languages.