A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih told the petitioner's counsel, "It (rule) only says you need to know Telugu"
Hyderabad:The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the decision of the Telangana government in making obligatory, proficiency in Telugu for candidates appearing for the Telangana State Judicial Services. Earlier, the Telangana High Court had upheld the state’s decision, and was not inclined to give parity to Urdu as an alternative to Telugu.
Challenging the High Court`s decision, one Mohd Shujath Hussain approached the Supreme Court stating that Urdu was the second official language of the state. He also challenged the provisions of the Telangana Judicial (Service and Cadre) Rules, 2023.
A Supreme Court bench comprising Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice A.G. Masih refused to intervene with the High Court's decision, thus affirming the requirement of Telugu language proficiency for candidates aspiring for judicial posts in Telangana.
Salman Khurshid, senior counsel appearing for the petitioner, argued that 15 per cent of the Telangana population spoke Urdu, but the provision had excluded the language entirely.
Counsel for the state government argued that most of the documents in criminal cases, including complaints, statements of witnesses and others, and key papers in civil cases were predominantly written in Telugu. For magistrates and judges in the district Judiciary to perfectly understand the documentary evidence, proficiency in Telugu was made mandatory. He also submitted that knowledge of Telugu was essential for the proper administration and dispensation of justice.
