Company : Sol Infotech Pvt. Ltd. Website : www.courtkutchehry.com Madras Official Language Act, 1956 39 of 1956 [23 January 1957] CONTENTS 1. Short title and extent 2. Tamil to be the official language of the state 3. English to be continued to be used for official purposes until the Government Otherwise direct 4 . Governments power to notify the official purposes for which Tamil to be used 5. Language to be used in Bills, etc 6. Notifications issued under sections 4 and 5 to be placed before the Legislature Madras Official Language Act, 1956 39 of 1956 [23 January 1957] PREAMBLE An Act to provide for the adoption of Tamil as the language to be used for the official purposes of the State of Madras. Whereas the Constitution enables the Legislature of a State by law to adopt any one or more of the languages in use in the State as the language to be used for all or any of the official purposes of that State and to prescribe any language other than the English language for use in Bills, Acts, Ordinances, Orders, rules, regulations and bye-laws; Be it enacted in the Seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:-- 1. For Statement of Objects and Reasons, see Fort St. George Gazette, Part IV-A, Extraordinary, dated the 21st December 1956, pages 280-281. 1. Short title and extent :- (1) This Act may be called the Madras Official Language Act, 1956. (2) It extends to the whole of the State of Madras. 2. Tamil to be the official language of the state :- The official language of the State of Madras shall be Tamil. 3. English to be continued to be used for official purposes until the Government Otherwise direct :- Notwithstanding anything in section 2 and without prejudice to the provisions of Articles 346 and 347 of the Constitution, the English language shall continue to be used for all the official purposes of the State for which it was being used before the commencement of this Act until the State Government, by notification under section 4, otherwise direct in respect of any official purpose specified in such notification. 4. Governments power to notify the official purposes for which Tamil to be used :- The State Government may, by notification issued from time to time, direct that Tamil shall be used in respect of such official purposes as may be specified in the notification. 5. Language to be used in Bills, etc :- The language to be used-- (i) in Bills introduced in, or amendments thereto to be moved in, or Acts passed by, the Legislature of the State of Madras, ( i i ) in Ordinances promulgated under Article 213 of the Constitution, (iii) in orders, rules, regulations and bye-laws issued by the State Government under the Constitution or under any law made by Parliament or the Legislature of the State, shall be Tamil on and from such date as the State Government may, by notification, specify: Provided that the State Government may appoint different dates in respect of the different items referred to in clauses (i) to (iii). 6. Notifications issued under sections 4 and 5 to be placed before the Legislature :- All notifications issued under sections 4 and 5 shall, as soon as possible after they are issued, be placed on the table of both the Houses of the State Legislature and shall be subject to such modifications by way of amendments or repeal as the Legislative Assembly may make within fourteen days on which the House actually sits either in the same session or in more than one session.