Languages with Official status in India - Wikipedia Languages with Official status in India States and union territories of India by the most commonly spoken first language. The Constitution of India designates the official language of the Government of India as Hindi written in the Devanagari script, as well as English. There is no national language as declared by the Constitution of India. Hindi and English are used for official purposes such as parliamentary proceedings, judiciary, communications between the Central Government and a State Government. States within India have the liberty and powers to specify their own official language ( s ) through legislation and therefore there are 22 officially recognized languages in India of which Hindi is the most used. The number of native Hindi speakers ranges between 14.5 and 24.5 % in total Indian population, however, other dialects of Hindi termed as Hindi languages are spoken by nearly 45 % of Indians, mostly accounted from the states falling under the Hindi belt. Other Indian languages are each spoken by around 10 % or less of the population. States specify their own official language ( s ) through legislation. The section of the Constitution of India dealing with official languages therefore includes detailed provisions which deal not just with the languages used for the official purposes of the union, but also with the languages that are to be used for the official purposes of each state and union territory in the country, and the languages that are to be used for communication between the union and the states inter se. During the British Raj, English was used for purposes at the federal level. The Indian constitution adopted in 1950 envisaged that Hindi would be gradually phased in to replace English over a fifteen - year period, but gave Parliament the power to, by law, provide for the continued use of English even thereafter. Plans to make Hindi the sole official language of the Republic met with resistance in some parts of the country. Hindi continues to be used today, in combination with other ( at the central level and in some states ) State official languages at the state level. The legal framework governing the use of languages for official purpose currently includes the Constitution, the Official Languages Act, 1963, Official Languages ( Use for Official Purpose of the Union ) Rules, 1976, and various state laws, as well as rules and regulations made by the central government and the states. Contents 1 Official languages of the Union 1.1 Parliamentary proceedings and laws 1.2 Judiciary 1.3 Administration 1.4 Implementation 1.5 Legislature and administration 1.6 State judiciary 1.7 List of official languages by states 2 Eighth Schedule to the Constitution 3 Union -- state and interstate communication 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links Official Languages of the Union The front cover of a contemporary Indian passport, with the national emblem and inscriptions in Hindi and English language. The Indian constitution, in 1950, declared Hindi in Devanagari script to be the official language of the union. Unless Parliament decided otherwise, the use of English for official purposes was to cease 15 years after the constitution came into effect, i.e., on 26 January 1965. The prospect of the changeover, however, led to much alarm in the non Hindi - speaking areas of India, especially Dravidian - speaking states whose languages were not related to Hindi at all. As a result, Parliament enacted the Official Languages Act, 1963, which provided for the continued use of English for official purposes along with Hindi, even after 1965. In late 1964, an attempt was made to expressly provide for an end to the use of English, but it was met with protests from states such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, West Bengal, Karnataka, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh. Some of these protests also turned violent. As a result, the proposal was dropped, and the Act itself was amended in 1967 to provide that the use of English would not be ended until a resolution to that effect was passed by the legislature of every state that had not adopted Hindi as its official language, and by each house of the Indian Parliament. The position was thus that the Union government continues to use English in addition to Hindi for its official purposes as a `` subsidiary official language, '' but is also required to prepare and execute a programme to progressively increase its use of Hindi. The exact extent to which, and the areas in which, the Union government uses Hindi and English, respectively, is determined by the provisions of the Constitution, the Official Languages Act, 1963, the Official Languages Rules, 1976, and statutory instruments made by the Department of Official Language under these laws. Parliamentary proceedings and laws The Indian constitution draws a distinction between the language to be used in Parliamentary proceedings, and the language in which laws are to be made. Parliamentary business, according to the Constitution, may be conducted in either Hindi or English. The use of English in parliamentary proceedings was to be phased out at the end of fifteen years unless Parliament chose to extend its use, which Parliament did through the Official Languages Act, 1963. In addition, the constitution permits a person who is unable to express themselves in either Hindi or English to, with the permission of the Speaker of the relevant House, address the House in their mother tongue. In contrast, the constitution requires the authoritative text of all laws, including Parliamentary enactments and statutory instruments, to be in English, until Parliament decides otherwise. Parliament has not exercised its power to so decide, instead merely requiring that all such laws and instruments, and all bills brought before it, also be translated into Hindi, though the English text remains authoritative. Judiciary The constitution provides, and the Supreme Court has reiterated, that all proceedings in the Supreme Court of India, the country 's highest court and the High Courts, shall be in English. Parliament has the power to alter this by law, but has not done so. However, in many high courts, there is, with consent from the president, allowance of the optional use of Hindi. Such proposals have been successful in the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. Administration The Union government is required by law to progressively increase the use of Hindi in its official work, which it has sought to do through `` persuasion, incentive and goodwill ''. The Official Language Act provides that the Union government shall use both Hindi and English in most administrative documents that are intended for the public. The Official Languages Rules, in contrast, provide for a higher degree of use of Hindi in communications between offices of the central government ( other than offices in Tamil Nadu, to which the rules do not apply ). Communications between different departments within the central government may be in either Hindi or English, although a translation into the other language must be provided if required. Communications within offices of the same department, however, must be in Hindi if the offices are in Hindi - speaking states, and in either Hindi or English otherwise with Hindi being used in proportion to the percentage of staff in the receiving office who have a working knowledge of Hindi. Notes and memos in files may be in either Hindi or English, with the Government having a duty to provide a translation into the other language if required. In addition, every person submitting a petition for the redress of a grievance to a government officer or authority has a constitutional right to submit it in any language used in India. Implementation Various steps have been taken by the Indian government to implement the use and familiarisation of Hindi extensively. Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha headquartered at Chennai was formed to spread Hindi in South Indian states. Regional Hindi implementation offices at Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Bhopal, Delhi and Ghaziabad have been established to monitor the implementation of Hindi in Central government offices and PSUs. Annual targets are set by the Department of Official Language regarding the amount of correspondence being carried out in Hindi. A Parliament Committee on Official Language constituted in 1976 periodically reviews the progress in the use of Hindi and submits a report to the President. The governmental body which makes policy decisions and established guidelines for promotion of Hindi is the Kendriya Hindi Samiti ( est. 1967 ). In every city that has more than ten central Government offices, a Town Official Language Implementation Committee is established and cash awards are given to government employees who write books in Hindi. All Central government offices and PSUs are to establish Hindi Cells for implementation of Hindi in their offices. In 2016, the Modi government announced plans to promote Hindi in government offices in Southern and Northeast India. The Indian constitution does not specify the official languages to be used by the states for the conduct of their official functions, and leaves each state free to, through its legislature, adopt Hindi or any language used in its territory as its official language or languages. The language need not be one of those listed in the Eighth Schedule, and several states have adopted official languages which are not so listed. Examples include Kokborok in Tripura and Mizo in Mizoram. Legislature and administration The constitutional provisions in relation to use of the official language in legislation at the State level largely mirror those relating to the official language at the central level, with minor variations. State legislatures may conduct their business in their official language, Hindi or ( for a transitional period, which the legislature can extend if it so chooses ) English, and members who can not use any of these have the same rights to their mother tongue with the Speaker 's permission. The authoritative text of all laws must be in English, unless Parliament passes a law permitting a state to use another language, and if the original text of a law is in a different language, an authoritative English translation of all laws must be prepared. The state has the right to regulate the use of its official language in public administration, and in general, neither the constitution nor any central enactment imposes any restriction on this right. However, every person submitting a petition for the redress of a grievance to an officer or authority of the state government has a constitutional right to submit it in any language used in that state, regardless of its official status. In addition, the constitution grants the central government, acting through the President, the power to issue certain directives to the government of a state in relation to the use of minority languages for official purposes. The President may direct a State to officially recognise a language spoken in its territory for specified purposes and in specified regions, if its speakers demand it and satisfy him that a substantial proportion of the State 's population desire its use. Similarly, States and local authorities are required to endeavour to provide primary education in the mother tongue for all linguistic minorities, regardless of whether their language is official in that State, and the President has the power to issue directions he deems necessary to ensure that they are provided these facilities. State judiciary States have significantly less freedom in relation to determine the language in which judicial proceedings in their respective High Courts will be conducted. The constitution gives the power to authorise the use of Hindi, or the state 's official language in proceedings of the High Court to the Governor, rather than the state legislature, and requires the Governor to obtain the consent of the President of India, who in these matters acts on the advice of the Government of India. The Official Languages Act gives the Governor a similar power, subject to similar conditions, in relation to the language in which the High Court 's judgments will be delivered. Four states -- Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan -- have been granted the right to conduct proceedings in their High Courts in their official language, which, for all of them, was Hindi. However, the only non-Hindi state to seek a similar power -- Tamil Nadu, which sought the right to conduct proceedings in Tamil in its High Court -- had its application rejected by the central government earlier, which said it was advised to do so by the Supreme Court. In 2006, the law ministry said that it would not object to Tamil Nadu state 's desire to conduct Madras High Court proceedings in Tamil. In 2010, the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court allowed lawyers to argue cases in Tamil. List of official languages by states List of official languages of states of India No. State Official language ( s ) Additional official language ( s ) 1. Andhra Pradesh Telugu 2. Arunachal Pradesh English 3. Assam Assamese Bengali in three districts of Barak Valley, Bodo in Bodoland Territorial Council areas 4. Bihar Hindi Urdu 5. Chhattisgarh Hindi 6. Goa Konkani Marathi 7. Gujarat Gujarati Hindi 8. Haryana Hindi Punjabi 9. Himachal Pradesh Hindi English 10. Jammu and Kashmir Urdu 11. Jharkhand Hindi Urdu 12. Karnataka Kannada 13. Kerala Malayalam English 14. Madhya Pradesh Hindi 15. Maharashtra Marathi 16. Manipur Meitei ( Manipuri ) English 17. Meghalaya English Khasi and Garo 18. Mizoram Mizo, English and Hindi 19. Nagaland English 20. Odisha Odia English 21. Punjab Punjabi 22. Rajasthan Hindi English 23. Sikkim Nepali Additional ten local languages 24. Tamil Nadu Tamil English 25. Telangana Telugu & Urdu 26. Tripura Bengali, English and Kokborok 27. Uttar Pradesh Hindi Urdu 28. Uttarakhand Hindi Sanskrit 29. West Bengal Bengali Nepali, Hindi, Kamtapuri, Kurukh and Urdu ( specific areas ) List of official languages of Union Territories of India Union territories No. Union territory Official language ( s ) Additional official language ( s ) 1. Andaman and Nicobar Islands Hindi and English 2. Chandigarh English 3. Dadra and Nagar Haveli Gujarati, Marathi, and Hindi 4. Daman and Diu Gujarati, Konkani and Marathi 5. Delhi Hindi Punjabi, English and Urdu 6. Lakshadweep Malayalam, Mahl ( in Minicoy Island ), English 7. Puducherry Tamil, English Telugu, Malayalam and French Eighth Schedule to the Constitution The Eighth Schedule to the Indian Constitution contains a list of 22 scheduled languages. At the time the constitution was enacted, inclusion in this list meant that the language was entitled to representation on the Official Languages Commission, and that the language would be one of the bases that would be drawn upon to enrich Hindi, the official language of the Union. The list has since, however, acquired further significance. The Government of India is now under an obligation to take measures for the development of these languages, such that `` they grow rapidly in richness and become effective means of communicating modern knowledge. '' In addition, a candidate appearing in an examination conducted for public service at a higher level is entitled to use any of these languages as the medium in which he or she answers the paper. Via the 92nd Constitutional amendment 2003, four new languages -- Dogri, Maithili, Santali and Bodo -- were added to the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The table below lists the 22 languages set out in the Eighth Schedule as of May 2008, together with the regions where they are used. Even though the English language is not included in the Eighth Schedule ( as it is a foreign language ), it is one of the official languages of the Union of India. Language Family Speakers ( in millions, 2001 ) State ( s ) Assamese Indo - Aryan, North Eastern 13.2 Assam, Arunachal Pradesh Bengali Indo - Aryan, Eastern 83.4 West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Jharkhand Bodo Tibeto - Burman 1.3 Assam Dogri Indo - Aryan, Northwestern 2.3 Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab Gujarati Indo - Aryan, Western 46.1 Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Gujarat Hindi Indo - Aryan 422 Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand Kannada Dravidian 38 Karnataka Kashmiri Indo - Aryan, Dardic 5.5 Jammu and Kashmir Konkani Indo - Aryan, Southern 2.5 Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala ( The Konkan Coast ) Maithili Indo - Aryan, Eastern 12.2 Bihar Malayalam Dravidian 33.1 Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands Manipuri ( also Meitei or Meithei ) Tibeto - Burman 1.5 Manipur Marathi Indo - Aryan, Southern 72 Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu Nepali Indo - Aryan, Northern 2.9 Sikkim, Darjeeling, Northeast India Odia Indo - Aryan, Eastern 33 Odisha, Jharkhand Punjabi Indo - Aryan, Northwestern 29.1 Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab Sanskrit Indo - Aryan 0.01 Uttarakhand Santali Munda 6.5 Santhal tribals of the Chota Nagpur Plateau ( comprising the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha ) Sindhi Indo - Aryan, Northwestern 2.5 Sindh ( now Sindh in Pakistan ) Tamil Dravidian 70 Tamil Nadu, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, Kerala Telugu Dravidian 74 Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands Urdu Indo - Aryan, Central 51.5 Jammu and Kashmir, Telangana, Jharkhand, Delhi, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh Of the 22 official languages, 15 are Indo - Aryan, four are Dravidian, two are Tibeto - Burman, and one is Munda. Since 2003, a government committee has been looking into the feasibility of treating all languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution as `` Official Languages of the Union ''. Union -- state and interstate communication The language in which communications between different states, or from the union government to a state or a person in a state, shall be sent is regulated by the Official Languages Act and, for states other than Tamil Nadu, by the Official Languages Rules. Communication between states who use Hindi as their official language is required to be in Hindi, whereas communication between a state whose official language is Hindi and one whose is not, is required to be in English, or, in Hindi with an accompanying English translation ( unless the receiving state agrees to dispense with the translation ). Communication between the union and states which use Hindi as their official language ( classified by the Official Language Rules as `` the states in Region A '' ), and with persons who live in those states, is generally in Hindi, except in certain cases. Communication with a second category of states `` Region B '', which do not use Hindi as their official language but have elected to communicate with the union in Hindi ( currently Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Punjab ) is usually in Hindi, whilst communications sent to an individual in those states may be in either Hindi or English. Communication with all other states `` Region C '', and with people living in them, is in English. See also Wikisource has original text related to this article : Official Languages Act, 1963 Languages of India List of Indian languages by number of native speakers Names of the Indian Constitution in the official languages of India Notes Jump up ^ Some languages may be over - or underrepresented as the census data used is at the state - level. For example, while Urdu has 52 million speakers ( 2001 ), in no state is it a majority as the language itself is primarily limited to Indian Muslims yet has more native speakers than Gujarati. Jump up ^ Bhutia, Gurung, Lepcha, Limboo, Mangar, Mukhia, Newari, Rai, Sherpa and Tamang are the Additional Official Languages for the purpose of preservation of culture and tradition. Jump up ^ See Official languages of Puducherry Jump up ^ Includes variants and dialects References Jump up ^ `` Report of the Commissioner for linguistic minorities : 50th report ( July 2012 to June 2013 ) '' ( PDF ). 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In case of Mahe and Yanam, Malayalam and Telugu, respectively, may be used instead of or in conjunction with Tamil. The English language may also be used for official purposes. ( ACT 28, Gazetteer, Pondicherry Vol. 1, P. II ) Multilingualism and second language acquisition and learning in Pondicherry Jump up ^ Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Puducherry, General Information on Pondicherry, archived from the original on 28 September 2007, retrieved 2007 - 06 - 06 Jump up ^ Constitution of India, Article 344 ( 1 ). Jump up ^ Constitution of India, Article 351. Jump up ^ `` The Official Languages ( Use for Official Purpose of the Union ) - Rules 1976 ( As Amended, 1987 ) - Paragraph 2 ''. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2015. Jump up ^ `` The Official Languages ( Use for Official Purpose of the Union ) - Rules 1976 ( As Amended, 1987 ) - Paragraph 4 ''. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2015. 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Jump up ^ Naresh Chandra Pattanayak Sep 1, 2011, 08.04 am IST ( 2011 - 09 - 01 ). `` Oriya second language in Jharkhand - Times Of India ''. Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2012 - 11 - 29. CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list ( link ) Jump up ^ `` Bengali, Oriya among 12 dialects as 2nd language in Jharkhand ''. daily.bhaskar.com. 2011 - 08 - 31. Retrieved 2012 - 11 - 29. Jump up ^ `` A Committee has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Shri Sita Kant Mohapatra to make recommendation, inter-alia on the feasibility of treating all languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution, including Tamil, as Official Languages of the Union. The Government will consider the recommendations of the Committee and take a suitable decision in the matter. '' Indian parliament Archived 21 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` The Official Languages ( Use for Official Purpose of the Union ) - Rules 1976 ( As Amended, 1987 ) - Paragraph 3 ( 1 ) ''. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2015. Jump up ^ `` The Official Languages ( Use for Official Purpose of the Union ) - Rules 1976 ( As Amended, 1987 ) - Paragraph 2 ( g ) ''. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2015. Jump up ^ `` The Official Languages ( Use for Official Purpose of the Union ) - Rules 1976 ( As Amended, 1987 ) - Paragraph 3 ( 2 ) ''. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2015. Jump up ^ `` The Official Languages ( Use for Official Purpose of the Union ) - Rules 1976 ( As Amended, 1987 ) - Paragraph 3 ( 3 ) ''. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2015. External links Department of Official Language ( DOL ) -- Official webpage explains the chronological events related to Official Languages Act and amendments Central Institute of Indian Languages -- A comprehensive federal government site that offers complete info on Indian Languages Reconciling Linguistic Diversity : The History and the Future of Language Policy in India by Jason Baldridge Multi-lingualism and language policy in India Words and phrases in more than 30 Indian languages Languages of India Official languages Union - level Hindi English 8th schedule to the Constitution of India Assamese Bengali Bodo Dogri Gujarati Hindi Kannada Kashmiri Konkani Maithili Malayalam Meitei ( Manipuri ) Marathi Nepali Odia Punjabi Sanskrit Sindhi Santali Tamil Telugu Urdu State - level only Garo Gurung Khasi Kokborok Lepcha Limbu Mangar Mizo Newari Rai Sherpa Sikkimese Sunwar Tamang Major unofficial languages Over 1 million speakers Angika Awadhi Bagheli Bagri Bajjika Bhili Bhojpuri Bundeli Chhattisgarhi Dhundhari Garhwali Gondi Harauti Haryanvi Ho Kangri Khandeshi Khortha Kumaoni Kurukh Lambadi Magahi Malvi Marwari Mewari Mundari Nimadi Rajasthani Sadri Surjapuri Tulu Wagdi Varhadi 100,000 -- 1 million speakers Adi Angami Ao Dimasa Halbi Karbi Kharia Kodava Kolami Konyak Korku Koya Kui Kuvi Ladakhi Lotha Malto Mishing Nishi Phom Rabha Sema Sora Tangkhul Thadou Major languages of South Asia Main articles Languages of India list by number of speakers scheduled Languages of Pakistan Languages of Bangladesh Languages of Bhutan Languages of the Maldives Languages of Nepal Languages of Sri Lanka Contemporary languages Austronesian Sri Lankan Creole Malay Dravidian Brahui Jeseri Kannada Malayalam Tamil Telugu Tulu Indo - Aryan Angika Assamese Bhojpuri Bengali Chakma Chittagonian Dhivehi Dogri Gujarati Hindi Hindko Kashmiri Konkani Kumaoni Magahi Mahal Maithili Marathi Nepali Odia Punjabi Sanskrit Saraiki Sindhi Sinhala Sylheti Rajasthani language Urdu Iranian Balochi Pashto Wakhi Isolates Great Andamanese Burushaski Nihali Kusunda Mon -- Khmer Khasi Nicobarese Munda Ho Korku Mundari Santali Sora Ongan Önge Jarawa Tibeto - Burman Ao Bodo Dzongkha Garo Meithei Mizo Nepal Bhasa Sikkimese Tenyidie Tibetan Tripuri European influence English Indian English Pakistani English Sri Lankan English French Portuguese Scripts Historical Indus ( Undeciphered ) Brahmi ( Abugida ) Kharosthi Brahmic Devanagari Bengali Gujarati Gurmukhī Malayalam Kannada Odia Ranjana Sinhala Tamil Telugu European Latin alphabet Arabic Arwi Nastaʿlīq Shahmukhi Arabi Malayalam Language activism Hela Havula Bengali Language Movement Sanskrit revival Pure Tamil movement Nepal Bhasa movement Punjabi Language Movement Urdu movement Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Languages_with_official_status_in_India&oldid=818106037 '' Categories : Lists of Indo - European languages Languages of India Official languages Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list Use dmy dates from January 2015 Use Indian English from May 2016 All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English Talk Article Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Afrikaans Azərbaycanca বাংলা भोजपुरी Brezhoneg Català Dansk Español Esperanto Euskara Français ગુજરાતી 한국어 हिन्दी বিষ্ণুপ্রিয়া মণিপুরী Bahasa Indonesia Interlingua Ирон Íslenska Latina Lietuvių മലയാളം मराठी მარგალური नेपाली 日本 語 Occitan ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Português Romani Русский Sicilianu Slovenščina Suomi Svenska தமிழ் తెలుగు 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 1 January 2018, at 16 : 28. 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Question: what is the official language of indian constitution
Answer: Hindi written in the Devanagari script, as well as English