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Articles 343 and 344 of the Constitution of India: Official Language of the Union

Articles 343 and 344 form part of Part XVII, Chapter I of the Constitution of India. They deal with the official language of the Union and the constitutional mechanism for recommendations concerning the progressive use of Hindi, use of English, numerals and related official-language matters.

Key points under Articles 343 and 344
  • Hindi in Devanagari script is the official language of the Union.
  • The international form of Indian numerals is prescribed for the official purposes of the Union.
  • Article 343 empowered Parliament to provide by law for continued use of English after the initial constitutional period.
  • Article 344 provides for an Official Language Commission and a Committee of Parliament.
  • The Official Languages Act, 1963 provides for the continued use of English in addition to Hindi for specified official purposes of the Union.

Article 343 - Official Language of the Union

Article 343 establishes the constitutional rule concerning the official language of the Union. It specifies Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of the Union and provides for the form of numerals to be used for Union official purposes.

Article 343(1): The official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script. The form of numerals to be used for the official purposes of the Union shall be the international form of Indian numerals.

Article 343(2): Notwithstanding anything in clause (1), for a period of fifteen years from the commencement of the Constitution, English was to continue to be used for all the official purposes of the Union for which it was being used immediately before commencement of the Constitution.

The proviso to clause (2) empowered the President, during that period, to authorise the use of Hindi in addition to English and the Devanagari form of numerals in addition to the international form of Indian numerals for any of the official purposes of the Union.

Article 343(3): Parliament may by law provide for the use, after the fifteen-year period, of the English language or the Devanagari form of numerals for such purposes as may be specified by law.

What does Article 343 mean?

Article 343(1) declares Hindi written in Devanagari script to be the official language of the Union. This constitutional provision should not be read as meaning that English ceased to have a role in Union administration after the initial fifteen-year period.

Article 343(3) expressly enabled Parliament to legislate for continued use of English. Parliament exercised that power through the Official Languages Act, 1963.

Continued use of English under the Official Languages Act, 1963

Section 3 of the Official Languages Act, 1963 provides for the continued use of English, in addition to Hindi, for the official purposes of the Union for which English was being used immediately before 26 January 1965 and for the transaction of business in Parliament, subject to the provisions of the Act.

The Act also contains provisions governing communications between the Union and States and the use of Hindi and English in specified Central Government documents.

The practical use of Hindi and English for official purposes is further regulated by the Official Languages (Use for Official Purposes of the Union) Rules, 1976, as amended.

Article 344 - Commission and Committee of Parliament on Official Language

Article 344 establishes a constitutional mechanism involving an Official Language Commission and a Committee of Parliament for considering questions relating to the official language of the Union.

Article 344(1): The President was required, at the expiration of five years from the commencement of the Constitution and thereafter at the expiration of ten years from such commencement, to constitute by order a Commission consisting of a Chairman and other members representing the different languages specified in the Eighth Schedule. The Presidential order defines the procedure to be followed by the Commission.

Article 344(2): The Commission is required to make recommendations to the President concerning:

  1. the progressive use of Hindi for the official purposes of the Union;
  2. restrictions on the use of English for all or any of the official purposes of the Union;
  3. the language to be used for all or any of the purposes mentioned in Article 348;
  4. the form of numerals to be used for one or more specified purposes of the Union; and
  5. other matters referred to the Commission by the President regarding the official language of the Union and communication between the Union and a State or between States.

Article 344(3): In making its recommendations, the Commission must have due regard to the industrial, cultural and scientific advancement of India and to the just claims and interests of persons belonging to non-Hindi-speaking areas in regard to public services.

Article 344(4): A Committee consisting of thirty members is to be constituted. Twenty members are from the House of the People, or Lok Sabha, and ten are from the Council of States, or Rajya Sabha. They are elected by the respective Houses in accordance with proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote.

Article 344(5): The Committee examines the recommendations of the Commission constituted under Article 344(1) and reports its opinion to the President.

Article 344(6): Notwithstanding Article 343, the President may, after considering the Committee's report, issue directions in accordance with the whole or any part of that report.

Difference Between Article 343 and Article 344

Article 343 lays down the basic constitutional framework for the official language of the Union. Article 344, in contrast, provides the institutional mechanism through which recommendations concerning the progressive use of Hindi, the use of English and related official-language questions were to be examined.

Important: Hindi is the official language of the Union under Article 343(1), while English continues to be used for Union official purposes in accordance with the Official Languages Act, 1963 and the applicable rules. The constitutional expression is "official language"; Article 343 does not declare any language to be the "national language" of India.

Official Language Law in India

Articles 343 and 344 are part of the wider constitutional scheme contained in Part XVII of the Constitution. Articles 345 to 347 deal principally with regional languages and communication involving States, while Articles 348 and 349 deal with language in the Supreme Court, High Courts, legislation and related matters.

For the present operation of Union official-language policy, the constitutional provisions should therefore be read together with the Official Languages Act, 1963, the Official Languages Rules, 1976 and directions issued under the applicable legal framework.

Official Government Resources