'Do you speak Sanskrit...' SC asks, dismisses plea to make Sanskrit national language

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a declaration to make Sanskrit the national language of India. Dismissing the plea, a bench of Justice M.R. Shah and Justice Krishna Murari said the matter is a policy decision that requires an amendment to the Constitution, and cannot be ordered by the court.

"How many cities in India speak Sanskrit? Do you speak Sanskrit? Can you recite one line in Sanskrit or at least translate the prayer in your writ petition to Sanskrit," the court asked during the hearing. "This lies in the realm of policy decision and even for the aforesaid, Constitution of India is to be amended. No writ can be issued to Parliament for declaring a language as a national language," said the bench.

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Filed by Gujarat`s former Additional Secretary, K.G. Vanzara, the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was seeking the court`s direction to the Centre to notify Sanskrit as a national language. The petitioner`s lawyer said Sanskrit is a "mother language" from which other tongues took inspiration. Refusing to entertain the plea, the top court said that the petitioner may be at liberty to file such a representation before the government.

The plea sought a direction to the Central government to notify Sanskrit as the national language saying such a move will not disturb the current Constitutional provisions which provide for English and Hindi as official languages of the country.

"India should learn from Israel who in 1948, made Hebrew, considered to be a dead Language for the last 2000 years, along with English as official/national Language of Israel," his plea read.

(With agency inputs)