Kerala High Court Dismisses Hindi Law Title Challenge

The Kerala High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation challenging the Hindi titles of three newly enacted criminal laws: the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, which replaced the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, and Indian Evidence Act on July 1. The court ruled that there is no fundamental right for citizens to demand law titles in familiar languages, emphasizing that the authoritative texts of these laws remain in English, as per Article 348 of the Constitution. The petitioner argued that the Hindi names could cause confusion for non-Hindi speakers and infringe upon their rights under Article 19(1)(g). However, the court noted that the use of Hindi in titles does not violate any constitutional provisions, since the actual legal texts are in English. The Centre defended the naming, citing other laws with similar Hindi titles, and the court ultimately found the arguments insufficient to warrant a change. This ruling has implications for linguistic diversity and the accessibility of law in India.