On Introduction of Bills in Hindi in violation of Article 348
In the guise of replacing colonial era criminal laws such as IPC, CrPC and Evidence Act, the Modi govt has introduced Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya respectively. However, contrary to Article 348 of the Indian Constitution which mandates the govt to present Bills in English, they are now introduced in Hindi, which is in accordance with Modi regime’s super-imposition of the majoritarian ‘one nation, one language’ formula. It goes against the accepted linguistic approach towards multilingual, multicultural and multi-ethnic Indian reality.
A similar approach is visible in govt’s use of Sanskrit in G20, which has adopted English as the working language. For instance, China has objected to the inclusion of the Sanskrit phrase ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ in G20 documents, since Sanskrit is a non-UN language. Hence, though the phrase is being retained in the logo and letterhead of all the documents affiliated with the G20 summit, final G20 document contains the English translation ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’.
Now, coming to the domestic issue, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has already deplored the introduction of Bills with Hindi names.
P J James
