Not alien to India, finest specimen of Hindustani culture: SC upholds Urdu signage in Maharashtra
New Delhi: The Supreme Court recently upheld the use of Urdu on a municipal signboard in Maharashtra’s Akola district, rejecting a plea challenging its use. The court emphasised that language is an integral part of culture and should not be used as a divisive tool. Urdu, the court stated, represents the "finest specimen of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, or the Hindustani tehzeeb".
The bench, comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K. Vinod Chandran, disagreed with the petitioner's view, asserting that Urdu is not “alien to India.” The court pointed out that Urdu was born and evolved in India, primarily to serve as a common means of communication among people from diverse cultural backgrounds. "Urdu developed and flourished in India due to the need of people belonging to different cultural milieus who wanted to exchange ideas and communicate amongst themselves,” the bench remarked.
The court dismissed a petition by former councillor Varshatai Sanjay Bagade, who had challenged the use of Urdu on a signboard of the new building of the Patur Municipal Council. “The purpose here for the use of Urdu is merely communication. All the municipal council wanted to do was to make an effective communication. This is the primary purpose of a language, which the Bombay High Court has laid emphasis on,” the court noted.
The court further underscored the deep-rooted presence of Urdu in Indian legal parlance, noting its significant influence on both criminal and civil law. Terms like adalat, halafnama, and peshi are commonly used in Indian courts. "Even though the official language of the Supreme Court and the High Courts, as per Article 348 of the Constitution, is English, many Urdu words continue to be used in this Court to date," the bench pointed out.
The court also highlighted that many Indian states and Union Territories have adopted Urdu as a second official language. It warned against criticising Urdu, noting that such criticism often reflects a broader misunderstanding of linguistic unity. "When we criticise Urdu, we are in a way also criticising Hindi, as linguists and literary scholars assert that Urdu and Hindi are not two languages, but one language," the bench stated.
“Hindi and Urdu met a roadblock in the form of the puritans on both sides and Hindi became more Sanskritised and Urdu more Persian. A schism exploited by the colonial powers in dividing the two languages on religion. Hindi was now understood to be the language of Hindus and Urdu of the Muslims, which is such a pitiable digression from reality; from unity in diversity; and the concept of universal brotherhood,” it said.
The court concluded by reaffirming that language should be seen as a bridge for communication, bringing people from varied backgrounds closer together. It emphasised that language should never be used as a tool for division but rather as a medium to foster diverse views and unity.
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Congress wins 18 seats in Assam; 17 Muslim candidates among victors
Guwahati: The Indian National Congress has secured victory in 18 Assembly constituencies in Assam, according to the latest results.
Out of the 18 winning candidates, 17 are from the Muslim community. The only non-Muslim candidate among the winners is Dr. Joy Prakash Das, who won from the Nowboicha constituency.
The constituencies where Congress candidates emerged victorious include Parbatjhora, Gauripur, Dhubri, Birsing Jarua, Jaleshwar, Goalpara East, Srijangram, Chenga, Pakabetbari, Chamaria, Lahorighat, Rupahihat, Samaguri, Nowboicha, Sonai, Algapur-Katlicherra, Karimganj North, and Karimganj South.
Among the winners are MD Ashraful Islam Sheikh from Parbatjhora, Abdus Sobahan Ali Sarkar from Gauripur, Baby Begum from Dhubri, Wazed Ali Choudhury from Birsing Jarua, and Aftab Uddin Mollah from Jaleshwar.
Other winners include Abul Kalam Rasheed Alam from Goalpara East, MD. Nurul Islam from Srijangram, Abdur Rahim Ahmed from Chenga, Jakir Hussain Sikdar from Pakabetbari, Rekibuddin Ahmed from Chamaria, Dr Asif Mohammad Nazar from Lahorighat, Nurul Huda from Rupahihat, Tanzil Hussain from Samaguri, Aminul Haque Laskar from Sonai, Zubair Anam Mazumder from Algapur-Katlicherra, Jakaria Ahmed from Karimganj North, and Aminur Rashid Choudhury from Karimganj South.
