Article 351 of the Costitution of India with Case law
🔷 Article 351 of the Constitution of India – Directive for Development of the Hindi Language
📜 Text of Article 351:
"It shall be the duty of the Union to promote the spread of the Hindi language, to develop it so that it may serve as a medium of expression for all the elements of the composite culture of India and to secure its enrichment by assimilating, without interfering with its genius, the forms, style and expressions used in Hindustani and in the other languages of India specified in the Eighth Schedule, and by drawing, wherever necessary or desirable, for its vocabulary, primarily on Sanskrit and secondarily on other languages."
🧾 Explanation:
Article 351 is a directive to the Central Government.
It aims to:
Promote the spread of Hindi.
Develop Hindi as a national link language that reflects India's composite culture.
Enrich Hindi using:
Sanskrit (primarily).
Other languages in the Eighth Schedule (secondarily).
Forms of Hindustani (a blend of Hindi and Urdu).
It does not impose Hindi on states, but gives the Union a guiding role in linguistic development.
⚖️ Important Case Laws on Article 351:
🔹 Munshi Singh Gautam v. State of M.P., (2005) 9 SCC 631
The Supreme Court emphasized the importance of simplifying legal language for broader understanding.
While not directly on Article 351, it aligned with the spirit of Article 351 in encouraging accessible communication in official and legal matters, especially in Hindi and regional languages.
🔹 Dr. Ramesh Yeshwant Prabhoo v. Prabhakar Kashinath Kunte, AIR 1996 SC 1113
The Court discussed language, religion, and national identity in election campaigns.
Although not a case strictly about Article 351, it contextualized how language promotion must avoid discrimination or imposition on linguistic minorities — an important concern in debates surrounding Article 351.
🔹 State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan, AIR 1951 SC 226
While primarily about Article 15 and reservation, it also touches on Directive Principles and language, establishing that Directives like Article 351 are not enforceable in courts but serve as guiding principles.
📌 Summary Table:
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Article Number | 351 |
| Type | Directive Principle (not enforceable in court) |
| Objective | Promote and develop Hindi as a national language |
| Language Sources | Sanskrit, Hindustani, and Eighth Schedule languages |
| Applies To | Union Government (not binding on States directly) |
| Legal Nature | Non-justiciable, but constitutionally important |
🗂️ Related Constitutional Provisions:
| Article | Subject |
|---|---|
| Article 343 | Official language of the Union (Hindi) |
| Article 344 | Commission and Committee on official language |
| Article 350 | Rights to use mother tongue in communication |
| Article 350A | Instruction in mother tongue at primary stage |
| Article 351 | Development of Hindi |
🗣️ Eighth Schedule Languages (Some Examples):
Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, etc.
There are 22 languages in total listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
RELATED Blog
0 comments