Supreme Court Upholds Use of Urdu on Municipal Signboards in Maharashtra

The Supreme Court has upheld the use of Urdu alongside Marathi on municipal signboards in Patur, Maharashtra, affirming that both languages have equal constitutional status under the Eighth Schedule.

Dismissing a petition by former councillor Varshatai Sanjay Bagade, the Court clarified that the Maharashtra Local Authorities (Official Languages) Act, 2022, does not prohibit the use of additional languages for signage. 

The court noted that Urdu, like Marathi and Hindi, is an Indo-Aryan language that originated and flourished in India, and its use reflects the country's linguistic diversity and cultural heritage.

It noted that Urdu has played a significant role in Indian court parlance, with terms like "Adalat" and "halafnama" being part of legal language.