Previous Year Question

Article 343 of the Constitution of India deals with the Official Language of the Union. It is contained in Part XVII — Official Language, Chapter I of the Constitution.

Under Article 343(1), the official language of the Union shall be Hindi in the Devanagari script. The form of numerals to be used for the official purposes of the Union shall be the international form of Indian numerals.

Article 343(2) provided for the continued use of English for an initial period of 15 years after the commencement of the Constitution. Article 343(3) further empowers Parliament to provide by law for the continued use of English for specified official purposes even after that period.

In exercise of this constitutional power, Section 3 of the Official Languages Act, 1963 provides for the continued use of English, in addition to Hindi, for official purposes of the Union and for the transaction of business in Parliament.

Important fact: The Constitution does not declare Hindi as the “National Language” of India. The constitutional expression used in Article 343 is “Official Language of the Union.” Therefore, the terms “National Language” and “Official Language of the Union” should not be confused.