Shimla, Nov 11
Himachal Pradesh High court recently dismissed a petition seeking declaration of Pahari (Himachali) as one of the official languages in the State.
Division Bench of Himachal Pradesh High court comprising of Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq and Justice Ms Sabina passed this order on Nov 8, 2021.
We…. set the petitioner at liberty to approach
the Department of Language Art & Culture to the Government of Himachal Pradesh with his demand for undertaking a research with a view to promoting a common Pahari (Himachali) nuclear language structure and nuclear Tankri script.
“If the petitioner approaches the respondents-State through its Additional Chief Secretary (Language Art & Culture) to the Government of Himachal Pradesh) for the prayer made in the Civil Writ Public Interest Litigation, it would be for the said authority to consider the same in accordance with law.”
The Court said that learned Counsel for the petitioner did not dispute that dialect of the Pahari spoken in different areas of the State ,differs from area to area.
Advocate General Ashok Sharma submitted before the court that not only the dialects of Pahari language would differ from one District to another, but even in case of Districts, dialect may differ from from one place to another.
State stated before the court that direction cannot be issued to the State Government until and unless it is established on record that the Pahari (Himachali) language has its own script and that a common Pahari dialect is spoken throughout the State.
PIL has been filed by one Arsh Dhanotia Resident of village Gujran of Kangra district to declare Pahari (Himachali) as one of the official languages in the State in any script and to promote further research towards a long-term formal Pahari (Himachali) nuclear language structure and nuclear Tankri script.
PIL also contended that State Government be directed to promote Pahari (Himachali) and other local languages as the medium of iinstruction in primary and middle level schools as per the New Education Policy, 2020 and to demand the inclusion of Pahari (Himachali) language as a separate category for the 2021 Census and simultaneously undertake an awareness campaign to create awareness amongst the masses, especially the youth of the State who speak Pahari (Himachali), to get it marked as their mother
tongue in the upcoming Census.
