Published On : Fri, Feb 12th, 2016

HC directs UPSC Experts Committee to decide inclusion of Pali language within six months

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Nagpur: The Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court on Friday directed an UPSC Experts Committee headed by P S Baswan to take a decision within six months regarding inclusion of Pali language as optional language in Union Public Service Commission exams. “Comparison of Pali language could not be made with French, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, German and other such languages. Pali language is a prosperous language of India,” said the High Court while issuing the directives to UPSC Experts Committee.

The matter came up before the High Court after the UPSC, through a notification issued on March 5, 2013, excluded Pali language as optional language in UPSC exams.

After hearing all the sides, Justice Bhushan Gavai and Justice Pradeep Deshmukh gave the significant ruling. The UPSC Experts Committee should take a decision regarding inclusion of Pali language as optional language in Union Public Service Commission exams within six months, directed the High Court after final hearing and concluded the case.

The PIL had contended that ‘Pali Prakrut’ is an original Indian language. It is 2500-year old language. The philosophy ‘Tripitik’ told by Tathagat Buddha is in Pali language. Like Sanskrit, Pali is also an Indian language which was declared as national language even by Samrat Ashok. Today, 55 universities and more than 100 colleges across the country impart knowledge of Pali language. The number of students taking education and doing researches in Pali language is in lakhs. Because of this fact, the Central Government in 1981 approved Pali Prakrut as an optional language in UPSC exams. But the March 5, 2013 notification excluded the language from UPSC exams, said the PIL.

Adv Shailesh Narnavre represented the petitioner while Adv Mugdha Chandurkar represented the Central Government.