Vijay to move resolution seeking Tamil as principal language of Madras High Court

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will move a resolution in the state Assembly on Thursday, urging the Centre to recognise Tamil as the principal language of the Madras High Court, official sources said. A discussion on the resolution is likely in the House.The resolution is expected to argue that Tamil, a classical language, has made significant progress in legal vocabulary and that technology-enabled translation facilities can support its use in the High Court. It will also seek a framework to ensure that all judgments, decrees and judicial orders of the High Court are made available in Tamil.According to sources, the resolution to be piloted by Vijay will underline that Tamil is one of the world’s ancient languages, with a grammatical and literary heritage spanning several millennia, while pressing the Centre to permit its use in the High Court.The government’s resolution is also likely to refer to the existing legal provision that allows the official language of a state, in addition to English, to be used in High Court judgments, subject to authorisation by the Governor and with the previous consent of the President of India. It is also expected to mention the Tamil Nadu Assembly’s resolution of December 6, 2006, which supported the use of Tamil in the Madras High Court and was forwarded to the Union government.The government is likely to note that the Supreme Court did not agree to the state’s proposal on Tamil, after the Centre had forwarded it to the apex court more than a decade ago. Overall, the resolution seeks renewed approval for the use of Tamil in the High Court and for court orders to be made available in the language. - EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 3, 2026 10:54 IST