HC directs implementation of Marathi language in lower courts

Mumbai, July 13 (UNI) The Bombay High Court today directed the Maharashtra government to speed up the process of the appointment of Marathi stenographers in all the 35 judicial districts and translate all the Acts by December 31.

A division bench comprising Justices R M Lodha and S J Vazifdar, while directing the state government, has scheduled the next hearing for January 10 next year.

A public interest litigation (PIL) had been filed by Advocate Vasant Yeshwant Mestri, member of an NGO Marathi Bhasha Sawrakshan Samiti, contending that while the government had passed a resolution in 1998 declaring Marathi as the official language of the courts lower than the High Court, the same had still not been implemented.

Earlier, the state had told the court that the implementation had lagged due to lack of infrastructure such as non-availability of books in Marathi, typewriters and stenographers.

The state today filed an affidavit, in which it stated that 30 posts of stenographers had already been created in 10 judicial districts and the remaining would be created shortly. It also said the required infrastructure would also be provided as the government is sincerely and earnestly interested in the implementation of Marathi as the official language.

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