THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT, 1963
(AS AMENDED, 1967)
(Act No. 19 of 1963)

[10th May, 1963]

An Act to provide for the languages which may be used for the official purpose of the Union, for transaction of business in Parliament, for Central and State Acts and for certain purpose in High Courts.

BE it enacted by Parliament in the Fourteenth Year of the Republic of India as follows:--

2. Definitions

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,--

• "Appoint day", in relation to section 3, means the 26th day of January, 1995 and in relation to any other provision of this Act, means the day on which that provision comes into force;
• "Hindi" means Hindi in Devanagari script.

3. Continuance of English language for official purposes of the Union and for use in Parliament

Notwithstanding the expiration of the period of fifteen ears from the commencement of the Constitution, the English language may, as from the appointed day, continue to be used, in addition to Hindi,--

• For all the official purpose of the Union for which it was being used immediately before that day; and
• For the transaction of business in Parliament.

4. Committee on official Language

(1) After the expiration of ten years from the date on which section 3 comes into force, there shall be constituted a Committee on Official Language, on a resolution to that effect being moved in either House of Parliament with the previous sanction of the President and passed by both Houses.

(2) The Committee shall consist of thirty members, of whom twenty shall be members of the House of the People ad ten shall be members of the council of States, to be elected respectively by the members of the House of the People and the members of the Council of States in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

(3) It shall be the duty of the Committee to review the progress made in the use of Hindi for the official purposes of the Union and submit a report to the President making recommendations thereon and the President shall cause the report to be laid before each House of Parliament, and sent to all the State Governments.

(4) The President may, after consideration of the report referred to in sub-section (3), and the views, if any, expressed by the State Governments thereon, issue directions in accordance with the whole or any part of that report.

(1) A translation in Hindi published under the authority of the President in the Official Gazette on and after the appointed day

• Of any Central Act or of any Ordinance promulgated by the President, or
• Of any order, rule, regulation or bye-law issued under the Constitution or under any Central Act. shall be deemed to be the authoritative text thereof in Hindi.

(2) As from the appointed day, the authoritative text in the English language of all Bills to be introduced or amendments thereto to be moved in either House of Parliament shall be accompanied by a translation of the same in Hindi authorized in such manner as may by prescribed by rules made under this Act.

Where the Legislature of a State has prescribed any language other than Hindi for use in Acts passed by the Legislature of the State or in Ordinances promulgated by the Governor of the State, a translation of the same in Hindi, in addition to a translation thereof I the English language as required by clause (3) of article 348 of the Constitution, may be published on or after the appointed day under the authority of the Governor of the State in Official Gazette of that State and in such a case, the translation in Hindi of any such Act or Ordinance shall be deemed to be the authoritative text therefore in the Hindi language.

As from the appointed day or any day thereafter, the Governor of a State may, with the previous consent of the President, authorized the use of Hindi or the official language of the State, in addition to the English language, for the purpose of any judgment, decree or order passed or made by the High court for that State and where any judgment, decree or order is passed or made in any such language (other than the English language), it shall be accompanied by a translation of the same in the English language issued under the authority of the High Court.

(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act.

(2) Every rule made under this section shall be laid, as soon as my be after it is made, before each House of Parliament while it is in session for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two successive sessions, and if before the expiry of the session in which it is so laid or the session immediately following, both Houses agree in making any modification in the rule shall or both Houses agree that the rule should not b made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be, so however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.

The provision of section 6 and section 7 shall not apply to the State of Jammu and Kashmir.