Which of the following statements are correct? I. Article 343 of the Indian Constitution, designates Hindi in the Devanagari scri…

Question

Which of the following statements are correct?

I. Article 343 of the Indian Constitution, designates Hindi in the Devanagari script as the official language of the Union.

II. According to Article 350-B of the Indian Constitution, a special officer for Linguistic Minorities is appointed by the President of India.

1. A. I only
2. B. II only
3. C. Both I and II (Correct answer)
4. D. Neither I nor II

Correct Answer

Option C — Both I and II

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Both I and II.

Key Points

• Statement I is correct. Article 343(1) provides that the official language of the Union shall be Hindi in the Devanagari script, and that the form of numerals to be used shall be the international form of Indian numerals. Article 343(2) permitted the continued use of English for fifteen years from the commencement of the Constitution, and the Official Languages Act, 1963, extended this indefinitely.
• Statement II is correct. Article 350-B provides for a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities, appointed by the President of India, to investigate all matters relating to the safeguards provided for linguistic minorities and to report to the President, who causes the reports to be laid before Parliament. The office was inserted by the Seventh Constitutional Amendment Act, 1956, on the recommendation of the States Reorganisation Commission.

Additional Information

• The language provisions of the Constitution — Part XVII, Articles 343 to 351:
  • Article 343 — official language of the Union.
  • Article 344 — Official Language Commission and Parliamentary Committee.
  • Article 345 — official languages of the States.
  • Article 348 — the language of the Supreme Court and High Courts, and of Acts and Bills, is English.
  • Article 350 — the right to submit a representation for the redress of a grievance in any language used in the Union or a State.
  • Article 350-A — instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage.
  • Article 350-B — Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities.
  • Article 351 — the duty of the Union to promote the spread of Hindi.
• Hindi is an official language, not the national language. The Constitution designates no national language, a point repeatedly affirmed by the courts, including the Gujarat High Court in 2010.
• The Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities has its headquarters at Allahabad, with regional offices at Belgaum, Chennai and Kolkata, and functions under the Ministry of Minority Affairs.