Holding that the Centre cannot expect people to know Hindi and English and it must respect the regional languages of all the states and comply with procedures relating to notifications seeking a public response, the Madras High Court on Tuesday directed the Centre to issue all notifications in vernacular languages of the respective states apart from Hindi and English.
Chennai: A division bench comprising Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice B Pugalendhi offered the direction on finding that the draft notification by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on February 21, 2020, for reducing the size of the Kanniyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) from 0-10 km to 0-3 km was not issued in vernacular language as per Rule 3 of the MoEFCC’s official memorandum.
“The very purpose of the notification will be lost. After all, languages are the medium of communication for people. Languages spoken and used by people of every State are equal before the law. No language is superior, and no language is inferior,” the bench said while staying the gazette notification issued by MoEFCC regarding KWS.
“Prima facie, the notification has not been made known to the local people, as required. The present COVID-19 virus has also made the issue very complex, as people could not come out and give their objections,” the bench led by Justice Kirubakaran said. The court further pointed out that the reduction of the size of the wildlife sanctuary would affect the environment and the same was attempted, without any public hearing.
“This universe is meant not only for humans but also for every other creature. Since this is a serious issue affecting our environment, the matter must be dealt with very seriously,” the bench held. The plea has been posted for further hearing to December 14.
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