Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) that called for the use of Gujarati alongside English in court proceedings. Rejecting the PIL, the High Court asserted that this matter should be addressed before the Supreme Court.

The PIL had sought that the High Court instruct the government to act upon the governor’s authorization from 2012, which had allowed the use of the local language in High Court hearings.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha Mayee dismissed the plea, stating, ‘This is a wholly misconceived petition in the name of PIL seeking to challenge the advice of the then Chief Justice of India (CJI) regarding administrative matters.’

The PIL had also raised concerns about a decision made by the Supreme Court during a meeting in October 2012. In that meeting, the highest court rejected proposals to incorporate regional languages, including Gujarati, in the High Courts of states like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Karnataka.

The bench also emphasized that the CJI had informed the central government, through a letter dated October 16, 2012, that the Supreme Court’s full bench had collectively decided against adopting the proposal after careful deliberation. The government had adhered to the apex court’s decision.

The bench clarified that if this matter were to be raised at all, it would fall outside the jurisdiction of the High Court and noted that ‘the only remedy lies before the SC.’

Last year, the request from the former president of the Gujarat High Court Advocates Association to incorporate the local language in court proceedings led to unrest within the legal community. This eventually led to his resignation from the post. Subsequently, various bar associations and the Bar Council of India supported his demand. DeshGujarat