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Telangana judicial service aspirants' challenge against Telugu proficiency is denied by the Supreme Court.
The petitioner's claim that Urdu is prohibited by the Telangana Judicial (Service and Cadre) Rules, 2023 was dismissed by the court.
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A plea contesting the Telangana government's decision to need Telugu proficiency in order to be appointed as a judge in the Telangana State judiciary was denied by the Supreme Court on Monday.
The petitioner, Mohd Shujath Hussain, argued that Urdu was not covered by the Telangana Judicial (Service and Cadre) Rules, 2023, but this was dismissed by a bench of Justices BR Gavai and Augustine George Masih.
"Not disqualified. The rule merely specifies that Telugu is required. Apologies. cannot entertain," said the Court.
Hussain moved to the highest court after the Telangana High Court had already denied the case.
The regulations, which went into effect in June 2023, mandated that candidates seeking judicial employment speak Telugu. Additionally, translation from English to Telugu and vice versa was included in the exam schedule.
Hussain contended that since he had studied in Urdu throughout his education, the regulations ought to have made proficiency in the language a prerequisite for joining the judicial service.
He added that the Telangana Official Languages Act of 1966 recognized Urdu as a second official language and that it is an integral element of the state's cultural fabric.
But after pointing out that the State's choice was a policy decision based on Telugu being the most widely spoken language in the State, the High Court dismissed his case.
