(Tamil Nadu) Official Language Act, 1956
[T amil Nadu Act 39 of 1956]2 [23rd January, 1957]
CONTENTS
1. Short title and extent
2. Tamil to be the official language of the state
3. English to be continued to be used for official Purposes until the Government otherwise direct
4. Government's power to notify the official purposes for which Tamil to be used
4-A. Declaration of Tamil as the language of courts for recording evidence in all proceedings
4-B. Declaration of Tamil as the language of courts for writing judgments, decrees and orders
5. Language to be used in Bills, etc.
6. Notifications issued under Sections 4 and 5 to be placed before the Legislature
An Act to provide for the adoption of Tamil as the language to be used for the official purposes of the 3[State of Tamil Nadu].
Whereas the Constitution enables the Legislature of a State by law to adopt any one or more of the languages in use in the State as the language to be used for all or any of the official purposes of the State and to prescribe any language other than he English language for use in Bills, Acts, Ordinances, Orders, rubs, regulations and bye-laws;
Be it enacted in he Seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:—
## Section 1. Short title and extent.—(1) This Act may be called the 5[Tamil Nadu] Official Language Act, 1956.
(2) It extends to the whole of the 6[State of T amil Nadu].
## Section 2. Tamil to be the official language of the state.—The official language of the 7[State of T amil Nadu] shall be T amil.
## Section 3. English to be continued to be used for official Purposes until the Government otherwise direct.—Notwithstanding anything in Section 2, and without prejudice to the provisions of Articles 346 and 347 of the Constitution, the English language shall continue to be used for all the official purposes of the State for which it was being used before the commencement of this Act until the State Government, by notification under Section 4, otherwise direct in respect of any official purpose specified in such notification.
## Section 4. Government's power to notify the official purposes for which Tamil to be used.—The State Government may by notification issued from time to time, direct that T amil shall be used in respect of such official purposes as may be specified in the notification.
4-A. Declaration of Tamil as the language of courts for recording evidence in all proceedings.—Notwithstanding anything contained in Sections 2, 3 and 4 of this Act or in the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (Central Act V of 1908) or in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Central Act 2 of 1974), T amil shall be the language of all—
(i) civil and criminal courts sub-ordinate to the High Court;
(ii) tribunals; and
(iii) rent courts and revenue courts,
for the purpose of recording evidence in all proceedings;
Provided that the Presiding Officer of any such court or tribunal may, in recording evidence in T amil, employ English Words and phrases, wherever he feels necessary, to bring out the exact purport and meaning:
Provided further that the High Court may, by general or special order, permit—
(i) any class of Presiding Officers of civil or criminal courts, or tribunals, or
(ii) any Presiding Officer of any such court or tribunal,
to record evidence in English in such circumstances and for such period as may be specified in such order:
Provided also that the Board of Revenue may, by general or special order, permit—
(i) any class of Presiding Officers of rent courts or revenue courts, or
(ii) any Presiding Officer of any such court,
to record evidence in English in such circumstances and for such period as may be specified in such order.
Explanation.—In this section and in Section 4-B, “rent, court” or “revenue court” shall mean any court presided over by an officer of the Revenue Department.]
4-B. Declaration of Tamil as the language of courts for writing judgments, decrees and orders.—(1) Notwithstanding anything contained in Sections 2, 3 and 4 of this Act or in the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (Central Act V of 1908) or in the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (Central Act 2 of 1974), and subject to the provisions of sub-section (2), T amil shall be the language of, all—
(i) civil courts sub-ordinate to the High Court;
(ii) criminal courts sub-ordinate to the High Court;
(iii) tribunals; and
(iv) rent courts and revenue courts,
for the purpose of writing judgments, decrees and orders:
Provided that the Presiding Officer of any such court or tribunal may, in writing judgments, decrees and orders in T amil, employ English words and phrases, wherever he feels necessary, to bring out the exact purport and meaning:
Provided further that the High Court may, by general or special order, permit—
(i) any class of Presiding Officers of civil or criminal courts, or tribunals, or
(ii) any Presiding Officer of any such court or tribunal,
to write judgments, decrees and orders in English in such circumstances and for such period as may be specified in such order:
Provided also that the Board of Revenue may, by general or special order, permit—(i) any class of Presiding Officers of rent covets or revenue courts, or
(ii) any Presiding Officer of any such court, to write judgments and orders in English in such circumstances and for such period as may be specified in such order.
(2) The provisions of sub-section (1) shall come into, force on such date as the State Government may, by notification, appoint and different dates may be appointed in respect of—
(i) civil courts sub-ordinate to the High Court;
(ii) criminal courts sub-ordinate to the High Court;
(iii) tribunals; and
(iv) rent courts and revenue Courts.]
## Section 5. Language to be used in Bills, etc.—The language to be used—
(i) in Bills introduced in, or amendments thereto to be moved in, or Acts passed by, the legislature of the 10[State of T amil Nadu],
(ii) in Ordinances promulgated Under Article 213 of the Constitution,
(iii) in orders, rules, regulations and bye-laws issued by the State Government under the Constitution or under any law made by Parliament or the Legislature of the State, shall be T amil on and from such date as the State Government may, by notification, specify:
Provided that the State Government may appoint different dates in respect of the different items referred to in clauses (i) to (iii).
## Section 6. Notifications issued under Sections 4 and 5 to be placed before the Legislature.—All notifications issued under Sections 4 and 5 shall, as soon as possible after they are issued, be placed on the table of both the Houses of the State Legislature and shall be subject to such modifications by way of amendments or repeal as the Legislative Assembly may make within fourteen days on which the House actually sits either in the same session or in more than one session.
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1. These words were substituted for the word “Madras” by the T amil Nadu Adaptation of Laws Order, 1969, as amended by the T amil Nadu Adaptation of Laws (Second Amendment) Order, 1969.
2. For Statement of Objects and Reasons, see Fort St. George Gazette, Part IV-A, Extraordinary, dated the 21st December, 1956, pages 280-281.
This Act was extended to the added territories by Section 3 of, and the first Schedule to, the T amil Nadu (Added T erritories) Extension of Laws Act, 1962 (T amil Nadu Act 14 of 1962), repealing the corresponding law in force in those territories.
3. This expression was substituted for the expression “State of Madras” by the T amil Nadu Adaptation of Laws Order, 1969, as amended by the T amil Nadu Adaptation of Laws (Second Amendment) Order, 1969.
4. Received the assent of the Governor on the 19th January, 1957, first published in the Fort St. George Gazette on the 23rd January, 1957)
5. These words were substituted for the word “Madras” by the T amil Nadu Adaptation of Laws Order, 1969, as amended by the T amil Nadu Adaptation of Laws (Second Amendment) Order, 1969.
6. This expression was substituted for the expression “State of Madras” by the T amil Nadu Adaptation of Laws Order, 1969, as amended by the T amil Nadu Adaptation of Laws (Second Amendment) Order, 1969.
7. This expression was substituted for the expression “State of Madras” by the T amil Nadu Adaptation of Laws Order, 1969, as amended by the T amil Nadu Adaptation of Laws (Second Amendment) Order, 1969.
8. This section was inserted by Section 2 of the Language (Amendment) Act, 1976 (T amil Nadu Act 41 of 1976).
9. This section was inserted by Section 3 of the T amil Nadu Official 1 Language (Amendment) Act, 1976 (T amil Nadu Act 41 of 1976).
10. This expression was substituted for the expression “State of Madras” by the T amil Nadu Adaptation of Laws Order, 1969, as amended by the T amil Nadu Adaptation of Laws (Second Amendment) Order, 1969.