Ahmedabad: The Gujarat high court on Thursday asked all eight municipal corporations and the commissioner of municipalities to ensure that the content displayed on public notice boards must be in the Gujarati language.

This directive came in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by an NGO named Gujarati Vichar Manch. The PIL called for the full enforcement of a circular issued by the state sports, youth, and cultural activities department on February 18, 2022. This circular made it mandatory to use the Gujarati language in government offices, educational campuses, public spaces, and by private individuals using public areas.

In response, the bench led by Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal clarified that the court lacks the authority to direct private individuals to use Gujarati. Instead, the responsibility falls on the government and organizations to initiate awareness campaigns and sensitize the public. As a result, the court concluded the PIL without expressing any specific opinion and instructed the municipal corporations and the commissioner of municipalities to ensure strict compliance with the 2022 circular.

The petitioner expressed dissatisfaction with the partial compliance of the circular, particularly noting that private entities using public spaces were not adhering to it. The PIL emphasized the importance of encouraging people to use Gujarati in places such as shopping malls, cinemas, restaurants, and more. DeshGujarat