Urdu a language misunderstood as alien to India, says SC – ‘prejudice stems from misconception’

The Supreme Court on April 15 upheld the use of Urdu on the signboards of a municipal council in Maharashtra, saying that Urdu and Marathi have the same status under the Constitution.

The Supreme Court Bench of Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K Vinod Chandran rejected the claims that only Marathi should be used on signboards.

The Court said that Urdu, despite its Indian origin, came to be associated with Muslims, which was far from reality, according to a report by the legal news website Bar and Bench. The Court also blamed colonial powers for associating Hindi with Hindus and Urdu with Muslims.

“This is not an occasion to have an elaborate discussion on the rise and fall of Urdu, but this much can be stated that this fusion of the two languages Hindi and Urdu met a roadblock in the form of the puritans on both sides and Hindi became more Sanskritized and Urdu more Persian,” the court said dismissing a petition by Varshatai Sanjay Bagade, a former councillor of Patur town, challenging the use of Urdu on the signboards of the Municipal Council of Patur.

Urdu finds its roots in India

"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," the Court said.

The Court said that Urdu finds its roots in India and cannot be tied to any particular religion.

“The prejudice against Urdu stems from the misconception that Urdu is alien to India. This opinion, we are afraid, is incorrect as Urdu, like Marathi and Hindi, is an Indo-Aryan language. It is a language which was born in this land,” the court said, according to Bar and Bench.

"Urdu developed and flourished in India due to the need for people belonging to different cultural milieus who wanted to exchange ideas and communicate amongst themselves. Over the centuries, it attained ever greater refinement and became the language of choice for many acclaimed poets," the Court said in its judgement.

Bagade had moved the Court claiming that use of Urdu was impermissible under the Maharashtra Local Authorities (Official Languages) Act, 2022. The Court disagreed, holding that there was no legal bar on using Urdu in addition to Marathi, and that the plea itself was based on a flawed understanding of language and law, Bar and Bench.

“There is no prohibition on the use of Urdu under the 2022 Act or in any provision of law...Marathi and Urdu occupy the same position under Schedule VIII of the Constitution of India," the Court said.

(With inputs from Bar and Bench)