Previous Year Question
Parliament can Amend the provision on official language of India under the Constitution by
a simple majority of its members
2/3rd majority
3/4th majority
support of 1/3 of its members
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
Part XVII of the Constitution contains provisions relating to Official Language and comprises Articles 343 to 351. Under Article 343(1), the official language of the Union is Hindi in Devanagari script, while the form of numerals for official purposes of the Union is the international form of Indian numerals.
Article 343(3) empowers Parliament to provide by law for the continued use of the English language and the Devanagari form of numerals after the expiry of fifteen years from the commencement of the Constitution. Within this constitutional framework, the Official Languages Act, 1963 provides for the continued use of English, in addition to Hindi, for official purposes of the Union and for business in Parliament.
In ordinary legislative business, where the Constitution does not prescribe a special majority, Article 100(1) provides that questions are determined by a majority of members present and voting. In this context, the correct option in this PYQ is simple majority.
An important caution is that the word “Amend” in the question should not in every case be understood as a formal Constitutional Amendment under Article 368. For several matters concerning Official Language, the Constitution itself empowers Parliament to act through an ordinary law.