Hyderabad, 29 April (H.S.): The Supreme Court of India has affirmed the Telangana government’s mandate requiring civil judge candidates to be proficient in Telugu, dismissing a petition that challenged this rule. Justices BR Gavai and AG Masih upheld the Telangana High Court’s support for the state’s requirement, stating that the decision does not discriminate against Urdu speakers. Petitioner Mohd Shujath Hussain argued that excluding Urdu proficiency as a qualification was unfair given Urdu’s status as the second official language in Telangana.

He sought permission for the examination to be conducted in Urdu, arguing it was justified by the sizable Urdu-speaking population. However, both courts ruled that the requirement for Telugu proficiency is not discriminatory since it does not prevent Urdu speakers from applying. The Supreme Court clarified that this requirement serves as an additional qualification and maintains that the Telangana Judicial (Service and Cadre) Rules, 2023, established a translation component in the recruitment exams, necessitating translations between English and Telugu.

The court affirmed that the government has the authority to determine its judicial recruitment needs, reinforcing that judicial review of such policy matters is limited to instances of apparent arbitrariness or discrimination.

Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar