Urdu born in India, signboards in Urdu permissible, rules Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of India ruled on Tuesday that the use of Urdu on the signboard of the Municipal Council in Patur, Akola, Maharashtra, is valid and does not violate any law.

The decision came after a former member of the Municipal Council challenged the display of Urdu alongside Marathi on the new building’s signboard.

The board currently shows the words ‘Municipal Council, Patur’ in Marathi at the top, followed by its Urdu translation below. The appellant argued that since Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra, Urdu should not be used, even on signboards.

Initially, the Municipal Council rejected this objection through a resolution passed in February 2020, stating that using Urdu in addition to Marathi was justified. The appellant then approached the Collector under the Maharashtra Municipal Council Act, seeking to cancel the resolution. However, the Divisional Commissioner overturned the Collector’s decision, and the case reached the Bombay High Court and eventually the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court dismissed the challenge, stating that Urdu is not a religious language but an Indian language spoken by millions across the country. The Court noted that Urdu has a strong presence in Indian legal vocabulary and is used widely in various courts despite English being the official language of higher judiciary.

It also highlighted that several Indian states and union territories, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Telangana, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir, have officially recognised Urdu as a second language under Article 345 of the Constitution.

The Court concluded that using Urdu on a signboard does not violate any law or constitutional principle, and the Municipal Council’s decision to include Urdu is valid. Therefore, the Urdu signboard will remain in place.