Passed by the Kerala Assembly in October 2025, this Bill aims to make Malayalam the official language for all administrative and educational purposes in the state. Leaders in Karnataka, especially from border areas like Kasaragod, have expressed concerns that it might force Malayalam on Kannada-speaking minorities.

Kerala has significant linguistic minorities, particularly in border districts. Kasaragod has a large Kannada-speaking population, while districts like Idukki and Palakkad have many Tamil speakers. Article 350A of the Indian Constitution mandates that states provide adequate facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage of education to linguistic minority groups.

Under Article 345 of the Indian Constitution, the legislature of a State may by law adopt any one or more of the languages in use in the State or Hindi as the language to be used for all or any of the official purposes of that State. Kerala is exercising this constitutional right through the 2025 Bill.

While English is predominantly used in higher courts and the IT sector in India, many states are pushing for the use of regional languages to make services more accessible to the local population. The Kerala Bill aims to integrate Malayalam into these professional domains to help common people understand legal and technical processes better.

The Indian Constitution provides several safeguards for linguistic minorities. Article 350 allows every person to submit a representation for the redress of any grievance to any officer or authority of the Union or a State in any of the languages used in the Union or in the State. The Kerala Bill explicitly incorporates these protections to reassure minority communities.

To accommodate students who move to Kerala for education (like children of migrant workers or international students), the state provides exemptions from compulsory language exams. This ensures that the language policy does not become a barrier for students from diverse backgrounds.

Under Article 201 of the Indian Constitution, when a Bill is reserved by a Governor for the consideration of the President, the President shall declare either that he assents to the Bill or that he withholds assent. The 2015 Malayalam Language Bill was sent for central approval but remained pending for a decade without a final decision.

In a significant judgment (referring to cases like the 2023 ruling on the Punjab Governor), the Supreme Court of India ruled that Governors cannot sit on Bills indefinitely. If a Governor withholds assent, they must return the Bill to the Assembly “as soon as possible” for reconsideration. This ruling eventually forced the Centre to return the long-pending 2015 Bill.

The NEP 2020 emphasizes the promotion of Indian languages and suggests that the medium of instruction until at least Grade 5, but preferably till Grade 8 and beyond, should be the home language or mother tongue. This aligns with the “policy of promoting all Indian languages” mentioned in the editorial.

The editorial argues that promoting a state’s official language is acceptable as long as it doesn’t infringe upon the rights of linguistic minorities. This balance is crucial for maintaining federal harmony and ensuring that all citizens feel their cultural identity is respected by the government.

Although Indian states were reorganized on a linguistic basis in 1956, no state is perfectly monolingual. Every state has significant populations that speak languages other than the official one, often due to historical presence in border areas or migration for work.

The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 was a major reform of the boundaries of India’s states and territories, organizing them along linguistic lines. However, as the editorial notes, these boundaries were approximations, and migration has since created diverse linguistic pockets within every state.

India does not have a single “National Language.” Instead, it has “Official Languages” (Hindi and English at the Union level) and “Scheduled Languages” (22 languages listed in the 8th Schedule). The editorial warns against “linguistic imperialism” where one language is promoted at the cost of others, which can lead to social tension.

The “public sphere” includes everything from signboards and public announcements to government forms and court proceedings. Ensuring that multiple languages are represented in these areas helps in making governance inclusive and accessible to all linguistic groups regardless of their size.

Nation-building in a diverse country like India requires balancing regional identities with a common national identity. Language has often been a sensitive issue, and managing it without creating “hostilities” between different linguistic groups is essential for maintaining national unity.

The Inter-State Council is a constitutional body established under Article 263 of the Indian Constitution to facilitate coordination between states and the Union. It is meant to discuss and investigate subjects of common interest, but it has often been criticized for being “dormant” or inactive for long periods without meetings.