Delhi Official Language Act, 2000[1]

[Delhi Act 8 of 2003]????????

[2nd July, 2003]

An Act to Provide for Adoption of Hindi in Devnagri Script as the First Official Language and Punjabi in Gurmukhi Script and Urdu in Persian Script as the Second Languages to be Used for the Official Purposes and Other Matters of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of National Capital Territory of Delhi in the Fifty First year of the Republic of India as follows:-

Section 1. Short title, extent and commencement.-

(1)     This Act may be called the Delhi Official Language Act, 2000.

(2)     It extends to the whole of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

(3)     It shall come into force on such date as the Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, appoint.

Section 2. Definitions.-

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,

(a)      ?Delhi? means the National Capital Territory of Delhi;

(b)      ?Government? means the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi.

(c)      ?Legislative Assembly? means the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Section 3. Hindi to be official language of Delhi.-

Hindi in Devnagri script shall, with effect from such date as the Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, appoint in this behalf, be the official language of Delhi.

Provided that the English language may continue to be used for those administrative and legislative purposes in Delhi for which it was being used before the commencement of this Act in consonance with the provisions contained in Section 3 of the Official Languages Act, 1963 (19 of 1963):

Provided further that a translation of any Bill introduced in, or Act passed by, the Legislative Assembly or of ordinances promulgated by the Lt. Governor of Delhi or of any order; rule, regulation or bye-law issued under any law made by the Parliament or the Legislative Assembly or any other state law extended to Delhi published under the authority of the Lt. Governor of Delhi in the official Gazette, shall be deemed to be the authoritative text thereof in the English, Punjabi & Urdu languages under this Act.

Section 4. Punjabi and Urdu to be second official languages of Delhi.-

Punjabi in Gurmukhi script and Urdu in Urdu script shall be the second official language of Delhi for the following purposes; namely:-

(a)      Receipt and reply of applications and petitions by ail offices of Government of NCT of Delhi in Urdu or Punjabi.

(b)      Publication of the translation of important Government rules, regulations and Gazette notifications in Urdu and Punjabi also.

(c)      Signboards of official buildings, Government offices and roads etc. will bear the names in Urdu and Punjabi also.

(d)      Publication of important Government advertisements in the News Papers in Urdu and Punjabi also.

(e)      Proceedings of Legislative Assembly will be recorded and issued simultaneously in Urdu and Punjabi also wherever required.

Section 5. Form of numerals.-

The form of numerals to be used for the official purpose of Delhi shall be the international form of Indian numerals.

Section 6. Power to make rates.-

(1)     The Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this Act.

(2)     In particular and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing power, such rules may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely:-

(a)      the manner of translation of the authoritative text in Hindi language of Bills etc. in English, Punjabi and Urdu languages;

(b)      any other matter which is required to be or may be prescribed.

(3)     Every rule made under this Act shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before the House of the Legislative Assembly, while it is in Session, for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, the House agrees in making any modification in the rule or the House agrees 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.