Supreme Court is Wrong in Saying that Urdu is Free from Religious Obstinacy

Facts are sacred, comments are free. Therefore, every person under 19 (1) (a) has the right to free speech and expression, which includes the right to reasonable criticism of the law courts or any executive action. Similarly, section 5 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 states that a person is not punishable for contempt of court if he or she publishes a reasonable comment on the merits of a matter that has been heard and determined or if a person publishes a fair comment on the merits of a matter that has already been heard and determined.
The issue involved here is the Urdu language, which has been a bone of contention right from its inception in India. There is hardly any doubt that Urdu and Hindi are of the same genre. The only difference is the script. While Marathi, Hindi, and Nepali are written in Devanagari, Gujarati, Bengali, and Punjabi also share many similarities with the Devanagari script. However, a particular community is responsible for making Urdu a communal language, as this community insists on writing Urdu in the Arabic-Persian script. It was promoted more by the medieval Muslim rulers than by the common people.
In all the states where Urdu is the second language, its growth has been retarded for two reasons: one is its alien script, and the other is its support by a particular religious community, which has stubbornly refused to accept any change. Otherwise, there seemed to be no reason why Urdu should be foisted upon the people of West and East Pakistan, where not even a fraction of the people could speak this language. Even today, those who are fighting for the signboard of the Patur Municipal Council to be written in Urdu along with Marathi belong to only the Muslim community. They do not fight for homogeneity but for a separate identity. Thus, the lecturing of the Supreme Court on Urdu is injudicious, uncalled for, and has no connection with reality.
Judges of High Courts and the Supreme Court nurse a false notion that they know all, forgetting the fact that the Supreme Court is supreme, not because it is infallible, but because it is final. Urdu is undoubtedly a sweet language, and its growth will depend upon its acceptability by other communities, especially if its script is changed from Arabic-Persian to ancient Devanagari. For this, the obstinacy of Urduwalas belonging to a particular religious community will have to eschew its tenacity.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hamas does not Deserve any support for its thrashing

       Israel and Hamas war started on 7 th October and has already taken the toll of more than 15 thousand human lives. In the past, no friction with Israel has lasted for more than a week but this time it is still continuing despite the passage of nearly six weeks’ time.  In fact, it is no longer a war but a relentless thrashing of the Hamas terrorists and their sympathisers in the Gaza Strip. According to the latest reports almost the entire Gaza Strip has been occupied by Israel’s forces. Hamas terrorists are hiding like rats in the tunnels, which they have constructed mainly under the hospitals to shield themselves. Terrorists are now targeting hospitals, killing innocent people and blaming Israel’s forces to gain sympathy from the world. But no country has till now come forward to join the war against Israel. Even Iran, Lebanon and Pakistan do not have the courage to face the wrath of Israel.   As a matter of fact, the world can learn a lesson ...
Read more

Law to Weed out Touts is Inadequate and Needs to be Done More

  Law to Weed out Touts is Inadequate and Needs to be Done More The presence of touts is ubiquitous in any court, be it district, High Court or even the Supreme Court. Why only courts- this is a common sight of any government office dealing with the public. So much so, even in the hospitals, touts rule the roost. Police stations remain hovered by the touts all the time. Even an FIR cannot be lodged without the help of the touts. As far as the courts are concerned, touts are found on all their gates itself. Many advocates depend on them because it is they who bring cases to them and in return get good commissions. Many touts have their own independent offices, and they operate by giving a façade of computer operators or typists. That is why, the Advocate Amendment Bill 2023 passed by Parliament the other day is a welcome law.    Verily speaking, the judicial system is swamped with touts. The definition of tout that has been given in the new Advocates (Amendment) Bill o...
Read more

The conduct of Kejriwal and AAP Leaders is Repulsive and Lowest of the Low

 Twenty days have elapsed from the incarceration of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, firstly in ED’s custody and thereafter in judicial custody. L’ affaire Aam Adami Party and Arvind Kejriwal have been controversial for over a year. He and his party have been claiming from housetops for the purity and transparency in public life. But nobody ever imagined that AAP and particularly its leader Kejriwal would plumb to such an unfathomable depth of immorality and opacity. Now leaders of AAP are saying that Kejriwal will continue to run the government from jail. However, the question is how will it be feasible? Will it not be a gross violation of constitutional propriety? Mr Kejriwal had cocked the snook to the summons of the ED nine times and at long last he appeared at the directions  of the court. If he had nothing to conceal in the liquor gate scam, he could have appeared at the first call but always avoided appearing by saying that the summonses of the ED were not...
Read more