KARNATAKA LOCAL AUTHORITIES (OFFICIAL LANGUAGE) ACT, 1981

30 of 1981

12th April, 1981

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS KARNATAKA ACT No. 30 OF 1981 Karnataka Gazette, Extraordinary, dated 3-2-1981 Kannada Language has been adopted as the official language at all levels of administration in the State under the Karnataka Official Language Act, 1963 (Karnataka Act 26 of 1963). The need to extend the use of Kannada Language in the day-to-day administration of all the local bodies in State is keenly felt. Hence the Bill.

An Act to provide for the adoption of Kannada as the language to be used for official purposes by all the local authorities within the State of Karnataka. Whereas, by Karnataka Act 26 of 1963, Kannada was declared as the official language of the State; Whereas, by Notification No. DPAR 29 PCL 79, dated 4th March, 1980, the Government of Karnataka notified that Kannada shall be used for all official purposes by all State Government offices throughout the State; Whereas, it is expedient to provide for the use of Kannada for all official purposes by the local authorities in the State; Be it enacted by the Karnataka State Legislature in the Thirty-second Year of the Republic of India as follows.

Section1 Short title

This Act may be called the Karnataka Local Authorities (Official Language) Act, 1981.

Section2 Kannada to be the official language of all the local authorities

The official language of all the local authorities in the State of Karnataka shall be Kannada:

Provided that,

(a) the English language may be used in communications.

(i) addressed to the Central Government offices, offices of other State Governments, and the Accountant General;

(ii) relating to orders made under any law which are subject to appeal or revision by any authority;

(iii) addressed to Courts other than village Courts;

(iv) where the English language cannot be dispensed with due to administrative reasons, or where such communications are purely technical and scientific in nature.

(b) if the population of a linguistic minority within the area of operation of such local authority is not less than fifteen per cent.

(i) petitions shall be accepted in the language of such minority and as far as possible replies thereto shall be given in that language;

(ii) hand-outs and publicity material shall also be given in the language of such minority;

(iii) notices of the local authorities shall also be published in the language of such minority.

Explanation. In this section, "local authority" includes a statutory corporation established by or under a law made by the State Legislature with respect to any of the matters enumerated in List II of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution, and a co-operative society registered under the Karnataka Co-operative Societies Act, 1959 (Karnataka Act 11 of 1959).