President denies assent to Kerala govt's Malayalam language bill

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: President Droupadi Murmu denied assent to the bill passed by the Assembly for the promotion and nurturing of the Malayalam language. The reason for denying assent has not been specified. The bill was passed in December 2015. The President's message denying assent to the bill was received at Raj Bhavan the other day.

It was the then Governor Palanisamy Sathasivam who sent the bill to the President, fearing that it would violate the constitutional rights of linguistic minorities, including Tamil and Kannada. The Law Department had also recommended sending the bill to the President as it could be contrary to the law passed by Parliament.

The Governor will send the bill back to the government along with the President's order denying assent. According to the Official Languages ​​Act of 1969, the official language of Kerala is either English or Malayalam. The bill was passed by the Assembly to repeal this and make Malayalam the official language.

The state government sent a letter to the Central government through the Governor on April 1, 2024, clarifying the doubts raised by the Home Ministry.

Provisions of the bill: - Make Malayalam the first language in schools, and establish the Malayalam Language Development Department within the Civil Service Reforms Department in the Secretariat. Bring Malayalam mandatory in bills, laws passed, governor's orders, district court language, verdicts in petty cases and semi-judicial institutions, and PSC examinations.

Meanwhile, the Motor Transport Workers Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill, passed in December 2022, is under consideration by the President.