Four Mumbai cab drivers have approached the Bombay High Court challenging the mandatory working knowledge of Marathi for auto, taxi and app-based cab drivers in Maharashtra.

Four cab drivers in Mumbai on Tuesday filed a petition in the Bombay High Court against the Maharashtra government's decision to make working knowledge of Marathi language mandatory for auto rickshaw, taxi and app-based cab drivers, saying it violated the fundamental rights of citizens. The public interest litigation (PIL) filed through advocate Vivek Shukla also said the government notification of August 12 posed a threat to the livelihoods of lakhs of "poor and migrant" drivers, and sought a stay over its implementation.

The petitioners - Mohammed Kasim Ahmad, Mohammed Tauseef Shaikh, Siyad Ahamad and Sadik Nasir Ali Khan - claim that the rule violates their fundamental rights under Articles 14 (right to equality), 19 (freedom to carry on trade and profession) and 21 (right to life) of the Constitution and is ultra vires the Motor Vehicles Act, which does not prescribe any language requirement for driving licences.
The plea is likely to be mentioned before the Acting Chief Justice for urgent relief on Thursday.
"The Motor Vehicles Act confers no power upon the State Government to prescribe working knowledge of any language as a qualification for a driver, as a condition of a badge, or as a condition of a permit, and confers no power to suspend or revoke a badge on such a ground," the plea said.
It added that lakhs of poor and migrant drivers, including themselves, face the imminent threat of suspension of badges and cancellation of permits, affecting their livelihoods due to implementation of the rule.
The petition sought the HC to stay implementation of the decision.
The Maharashtra Transport Department has launched a statewide drive from August 20 to check non-Marathi taxi and auto-rickshaw drivers' working knowledge of Marathi language.
A 105-day 'Hinduhriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Marathi Language Campaign', conducted by the Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad and Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh, saw 1,65,601 non-Marathi-speaking auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers come forward to learn functional Marathi.
Last week, state Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said the requirement of practical Marathi knowledge for operating auto-rickshaws and taxis existed in Maharashtra since 1989 but was not strictly enforced.
He had also said the government had no intention of taking away anyone's livelihood and wanted people working in Maharashtra to learn and respect the state's language and culture.
However, widespread fear among autorickshaw and taxi drivers over rumoured steep fines linked to the state government's Marathi proficiency drive erupted into street protests in parts of Mumbai on Monday, forcing Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to step in and address the panic.
During protests, some drivers tried to prevent other members from transporting passengers, inconveniencing common people in the morning hours of Monday. Seeking to allay drivers' concerns, CM Fadnavis said the objective behind the government drive was not to make the drivers language experts, but to ensure they can communicate in the local language for their work.


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