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Deposit INR 1 lakh as pre-condition to hear PIL on Devanagari signboards at Mumbai airport: HC asks petitioner

The court said if the deposit is made then the petition would be taken up for hearing

Deposit INR 1 lakh as pre-condition to hear PIL on Devanagari signboards at Mumbai airport: HC asks petitioner
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On January 30, Monday, the Bombay High Court  directed a trust to deposit INR 1 lakh as a pre-condition to hear its public interest litigation (PIL) about putting up Devanagari text signboards and banners along with English signboards and banners at the city airport.

The 'Gujarati Vichar Manch' (GVM) filed the petition seeking implementation of two circulars issued by the Union Home Ministry, Department of Official Language in 2008 directing the use of Hindi and regional language at par with English on signage boards and indicators at public places.

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The petitioner trust would have to first deposit INR 1 lakh to prove its bonafide, said a division bench of Acting Chief Justice SV Gangapurwala and Justice Sandeep Marne on Monday. The court said if the deposit is made then the petition would be taken up for hearing.

According to the PIL, the respondent authorities allegedly had time and again failed to implement the circulars despite repeated reminders and requests by the petitioner trust.

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"The petitioner merely seeks recognition towards the official and regional language of the state of Maharashtra as language is a highly emotional issue for the citizens of any nation. It has a great unifying force and is a powerful instrument for national integration, the petition said.

The petitioner claimed that prominent display of English language on signage boards at the airport in Mumbai is nothing but a way to foist the language on the indigenous people. The trust claimed having the regional language at par with English would help indigenous people of Maharashtra and Indian residents who are not well acquainted with English.

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