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Government must provide central, state law books in Marathi: NGO

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An NGO working towards the implementation of Marathi language has filed a public interest litigation seeking directions to the state to provide central and state government laws in Maharashtra's official language.

Filed by Shantaram Datar, the founder-president of Marathi Bhasha Saurakshan and Vikas Sanstha, the PIL prayed for directions to the government to make available translations of all laws from English to Marathi with their amendments. Petitioner's counsel Ram Apte recently argued before the high court that private law book publishers are not providing updated books, and also that the existing ones have a lot of mistakes in them. Thus, it is the duty of the state to provide law books in Marathi with proper amendments, Apte added.

The PIL says the state, as per its policy decision to encourage use of Marathi in government business and legislative work, created the directorate of languages in 1961, and thereafter, slowly switched over to Marathi from English for official work.

In 1964, the Maharashtra Official Language Act was enacted and Marathi was declared the official language. In 2005, HC issued a circular directing lower court's judicial officers to transact 50% of court business, including writing of judgments, in Marathi.

The PIL also says it is one of the principles of school of law and natural justice that common man know or be made aware of the true and correct text of the law in the state's official language.

A division bench of justices Anoop Mohta and NM Jamdar last week directed the government to first put up the bare Acts translated in Marathi online and then inform it by December 12 the steps taken to provide copies of English and Marathi state Acts.

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