#THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT, 1963 
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##ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS 
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SECTIONS 
1. Short title and commencement. 
2. Definitions. 
3. Continuance of English language for official purposes of the Union and for use in Parliament. 
4. Committee on Official Language. 
5. Authorised Hindi translations of Central Acts, etc. 
6. Authorised Hindi translation of State Acts in certain cases. 
7. Optional use of Hindi or other official language in judgments, etc., of High Courts. 
8. Power to make rules. 
9. [Omitted.] 



#THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT, 1963 

##ACT NO. 19 OF 1963 

[10th May, 1963.] 

An Act to provide for the languages which may be used for the official purposes of the Union, 
  for transaction of business in Parliament, for Central and State Acts and for certain purposes 
  in High Courts. 

  BE it enacted by Parliament in the Fourteenth Year of the Republic of India as follows:— 

1. **Short title and commencement.**—(1) This Act may be called the Official Languages Act, 1963. 

(2) Section 3 shall come into force on the 26th day of January, 1965 and the remaining provisions of 
this Act shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official 
Gazette, appoint and different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Act. 

2. **Definitions.**—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,— 

  (a) “appointed day”, in relation to section 3, means the 26th day of January, 1965 and in relation 
to any other provision of this Act, means the day on which that provision comes into force; 

  (b) “Hindi” means Hindi in Devanagari Script. 

3. **Continuance  of  English  language  for  official  purposes  of  the  Union  and  for  use  in 
Parliament.**—(1) Notwithstanding the expiration of the period of fifteen years from the commencement 
of the Constitution, the English language may, as from the appointed day, continue to be used, in addition 
to Hindi,— 

  (a) for all the official purposes of the Union for which it was being used immediately before that 
day; and 

  (b) for the transaction of business in Parliament: 

  Provided that the English language shall be used for purposes of communication between the Union 
and a State which has not adopted Hindi as its official language: 

  Provided further that where Hindi is used for purposes of communication between one State which 
has adopted Hindi as its official language and another State which has not adopted Hindi as its official 
language, such communication in Hindi shall be accompanied by a translation of the same in the English 
language: 

  Provided also that nothing in this sub-section shall be construed as preventing a State which has not 
adopted Hindi as its official language from using Hindi for purposes of communication with the Union or 
with a State which has adopted Hindi as its official language, or by agreement with any other State, and in 
such a case, it shall not be obligatory to use the English language for purposes of communication with 
that State. 

(2) Notwithstanding  anything  contained  in  sub-section  (1),  where  Hindi  or  the  English  language  is 
used for purposes of communication— 

  (i) between one Ministry or Department or office of the Central Government and another; 

  (ii) between one Ministry or Department or office of the Central Government and any corporation 
or company owned or controlled by the Central Government or any office thereof; 

  (iii) between any corporation or company owned or controlled by the Central Government or any 
office thereof and another, 

a translation of such communication in the English language or, as the case may be, in Hindi shall also be 
provided  till  such  date  as  the  staff  of  the  concerned  Ministry,  Department,  office  or  corporation  or 
company aforesaid have acquired a working knowledge of Hindi. 

(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-section (1), both Hindi and the English language shall 
be used for— 

  (i) resolutions,  general  orders,  rules,  notifications,  administrative  or  other  reports  or  press 
communiques  issued  or  made  by  the  Central  Government  or  by  a  Ministry,  Department  or  office 
thereof  or  by  a  corporation  or company  owned  or  controlled  by  the  Central  Government  or  by  any 
office of such corporation or company; 

  (ii) administrative  and  other  reports  and  official  papers  laid  before  a  House  or  the  Houses  of 
Parliament; 

  (iii) contracts and agreements executed, and licences, permits, notices and forms of tender issued, 
by or on behalf of the Central Government or any Ministry, Department or office thereof or by a 
corporation  or  company  owned  or  controlled  by  the  Central  Government  or  by  any  office  of  such 
corporation or company. 

(4) Without  prejudice  to the  provisions  of  sub-section  (1)  or  sub-section  (2)  or  sub-section  (3),  the 
Central  Government  may,  by  rules  made  under  section  8,  provide  for  the  language  or  languages  to  be 
used for the official purpose of the Union, including the working of any Ministry, Department, section or 
office, and in making such rules, due consideration shall be given to the quick and efficient disposal of the 
official business and the interests of the general public and in particular, the rules so made shall ensure 
that persons serving in connection with the affairs of the Union and having proficiency either in Hindi or 
in the English language may function effectively and that they are not placed at a disadvantage on the 
ground that they do not have proficiency in both the languages. 

(5) The  provisions  of  clause  (a)  of  sub-section  (1),  and  the  provisions  of  sub-section  (2), 
sub-section (3) and sub-section (4) shall remain in force until resolutions for the discontinuance of the use 
of the English language for the purposes mentioned therein have been passed by the Legislatures of all the 
States which have not adopted Hindi as their official language and until after considering the resolutions 
aforesaid, a resolution for such discontinuance has been passed by each House of Parliament. 

4. **Committee on Official Language.**—(1) After the expiration of ten years from the date on which 
section 3 comes into force, there shall be constituted a Committee on Official Language, on a resolution 
to that effect being moved in either House of Parliament with the previous sanction of the President and 
passed by both Houses. 

(2) The Committee shall consist of thirty members of whom twenty shall be members of the House of 
the People and ten shall be members of the Council of States, to be elected respectively by the members 
of the House of the People and the members of the Council of States in accordance with the system of 
proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote. 

(3) It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Committee  to  review  the  progress  made  in  the  use  of  Hindi  for  the 
official purposes of the Union and submit a report to the President making recommendations thereon and 
the President shall cause the report to be laid before each House of Parliament, and sent to all the State 
Governments. 

(4) The President may, after consideration of the report referred to in sub-section (3), and the views, if 
any, expressed by the State Governments thereon, issue directions in accordance with the whole or any 
part of that report: 

Provided that the directions so issued shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of section 3. 

5. **Authorised Hindi translations of Central Acts, etc.**—(1) A translation in Hindi published under 
the authority of the President in the Official Gazette on and after the appointed day,— 

  (a) of any Central Act or of any Ordinance promulgated by the President, or 

  (b) of any order, rule, regulation or bye-law issued under the Constitution or under any Central 
Act, 

shall be deemed to be the authoritative text thereof in Hindi. 

(2) As  from  the  appointed  day,  the  authoritative  text  in  the  English  language  of  all  Bills  to  be 
introduced or amendments thereto to be moved in either House of Parliament shall be accompanied by a 
translation of the same in Hindi authorised in such manner as may be prescribed by rules made under this 
Act. 

6. **Authorised Hindi translation of State Acts in certain cases.**—Where the Legislature of a State 
has prescribed any language other than Hindi for use in Acts passed by the Legislature of the State or in 
Ordinances promulgated by the Governor of the State, a translation of the same in Hindi, in addition to a 
translation  thereof  in  the  English  language  as  required  by  clause  (3)  of  article  348  of  the  Constitution, 
may be published on or after the appointed day under the authority of the Governor of the State in the 
Official Gazette of that State and in such a case, the translation in Hindi of any such Act or  Ordinance 
shall be deemed to be the authoritative text thereof in the Hindi language. 

7. **Optional use of Hindi or other official language in judgments, etc., of High Courts.**—As from 
the appointed day or any day thereafter the Governor of a State may, with the previous consent of the 
President, authorise the use of Hindi or the official language of the State, in addition to the English 
language, for the purposes of any judgment, decree or order passed or made by the High Court for that 
State and where any judgment, decree or order is passed or made in any such language (other than the 
English language), it  shall be  accompanied  by  a translation  of  the  same  in the  English language  issued 
under the authority of the High Court. 

8. **Power to make rules.**—(1) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, 
make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act. 

(2) Every rule made under this section shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each 
House of Parliament while it is in session for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one 
session or [^1][in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately 
following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid], both Houses agree in making any modification 
in the rule or both Houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only 
in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be, so, however, that any such modification or 
annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule. 

9. *[Certain provisions not to apply to Jammu and Kashmir.]— Omitted by the Jammu and Kashmir 
Reorganization  (Adaptation  of  Central  Laws)  Order,  2020,  vide  notification  No.  S.O.  1123(E)  dated           
(18-3-2020)  and  vide  Union  Territory  of  Ladakh  Reorganisation  (Adaptation  of  Central  Laws)  Order, 
2020, notification No. S.O. 3774(E), dated* (23-10-2020). 



[^1]. Subs. by Act 4 of 1986, s. 2 and the Schedule, for certain words (w.e.f. 15-5-1986).