Judge highlights risk for South Indians not knowing Hindi

Supreme Court judge B V Nagarathna has asserted that people from southern states should not feel alienated simply for not knowing Hindi, drawing attention to the country’s linguistic diversity and the role of other link languages in preserving unity.During a session organised by the bar association, Justice Nagarathna argued that reliance on a single language might exclude entire communities.

- HD Bureau

She observed that India is more like a subcontinent given its sheer variety of mother tongues, and pointed out that the Constitution recognises multiple languages under its Eighth Schedule.

In southern India alone, she said, there are at least six major languages spoken widely in everyday communication and underscored that using only Hindi in the legal and administrative sphere risks isolating large segments of the population.