The new nomenclature: Rewriting of lawmaking convention - in Hindi

Opposition lawmakers have renewed objections to the government’s growing practice of giving Hindi titles to proposed legislation, arguing it violates constitutional requirements and marginalises non-Hindi speakers.

 

The issue surfaced again on Monday after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha. Revolutionary Socialist Party (A) lawmaker N K Premchandran said he struggled to pronounce the Hindi title and argued that naming Bills in Hindi breached Article 348 of the Constitution, which mandates English as the authoritative language for legislation.

 

Similar objections were raised on Tuesday when Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tabled the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025. The same day, the government also introduced the Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Bill.

 

Earlier in the Winter Session, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Health Security Se National Security Cess Bill, 2025. While the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025 carries an English title, some lawmakers noted that government press statements abbreviate it as the “SHANTI Bill”.

 

Congress leader P Chidambaram said the long-standing convention had been to present the English version of a Bill with an English title and the Hindi version with a Hindi title. “When no one pointed out any difficulty in the 75-year practice, why should the government make a change?” he said in a social media post.

 

Chidambaram and other lawmakers from non-Hindi-speaking states said the shift was an affront to linguistic diversity and made it difficult for many to identify or pronounce the names of Bills. MPs from southern states, including Tamil Nadu and Kerala, have described the move as “Hindi imposition”. “Successive governments have reiterated the promise that English will remain an Associate Official Language. I fear that promise is in danger of being broken,” Chidambaram said.

 

Article 348(1)(b) of the Constitution provides that, until Parliament decides otherwise, the authoritative texts of all Bills, Acts, ordinances, orders, rules and regulations at the Union and state levels must be in English. In the event of discrepancies, the English text prevails. States may authorise the use of Hindi or another language for official purposes with the President’s prior consent, but such texts must be accompanied by an English version.

 

Bills and Acts with Hindi titles

 

Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Bill, 2025

-- Amends the Insurance Act, 1938, the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956 and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999

Status: Passed by Lok Sabha on December 16, 2025; by Rajya Sabha on December 17, 2025

 

Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025

-- Replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005.

Status: Passed by Lok Sabha on December 18, 2025; pending in Rajya Sabha

 

Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025

-- Repeals the UGC Act, 1956, the AICTE Act, 1987, and the NCTE Act, 1993

Status: Introduced on December 15, 2025; referred to a joint parliamentary committee

 

Health Security Se National Security Cess Bill, 2025

Status: Passed by Lok Sabha on December 5, 2025; by Rajya Sabha on December 8, 2025

 

Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2025

-- Amends 17 laws to decriminalise a range of offences

Status: Introduced on August 18, 2025; referred to a committee

 

Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024

-- Replaced the Aircraft Act, 1934

Status: Passed on December 5, 2024

 

Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023

Replaced the Indian Penal Code, 1860

Status: Passed on December 21, 2023

 

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023

Replaced the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973

Status: Passed on December 21, 2023

 

Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023

Replaced the Indian Evidence Act, 1872.

Status: Passed on December 21, 2023.

 

Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill, 2023

Repealed the Science and Engineering Research Board Act, 2008.

Status: Passed on August 9, 2023.

 

Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Bill, 2020

Provided a mechanism to resolve pending income and corporation tax disputes.

Status: Passed on March 13, 2020.