The Assam Official Language Act,1960
**No.LJL.35/60. - -The following Act of the Assam Legislative Assembly**

which received the assent of the Governor is hereby published for general
information.

**Received the assent of the Governor on the 17th December 1960**

**ASSAM ACT No.XXXIII OF 1960**

THE ASSAM OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ACT, 1960

(As passed by the Assembly)

[Published in the _Assam Gazette, Extraordinary, dated the 19th_

December I 960]

_An_

_Act_

_to declare the Official Lanpiiat’c of the State of Assam._

# •

Preamble. Whereas Article 345 of the Constitutjon provides that the

Legislature of a State may by law adopt any one or more of the
languages in use in the State as the language to be used for


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shed under the Assam Municipal Act, 1956 and shall **Assam**
include Town Committees established under the said [X] V of IS


It is hereby enacted in the Eleventh Year of the Republic of

India, as follows :...

**.Short title,** ]. (i) 'this Act may be called die Assam Official Language

**extent and** **A < £** **| 9 6 ( j**
**commence­**
**ment.**
(2) it extends to the whole, ot trie biate ot Assam.

(3) h shall come into force on such date as the Slate

Government may, by notification, in the official Gazette, appoint
and different dates may be appointed for different. official pur­
poses and for different parts of the State of Assam :

Provided that the date m dates appointed by the State

Government in respect of any of tile parts oi the State ot Assam
shall not be later than live years limn the date the assent to this
Act is first published in the official Gazette.

**OefiniUms.** **2 -** **1(1** **t h i s** **A** **d ’** **u l l l “ s** **t l l e l e** is anything repugnant in the

subject ot context :

(a) “Autonomous District” means an area deemed as such

under paragraph 1(1) of the Sixth Schedule to the

Constitution of India.

(b) “Autonomous Region” means an area deemed as' such

under paragraph 1 (2) of the Sixth Schedule to the

Constitution of India.

(c) “District Council'’ means a District Council constitu­

ted under paragraph 2 of the Sixth Schedule to the
Constitution of indja.

(d) “ Mohkuma Padshah'[1] means a Mohkmna Parishad Assam

established under the Assam Panchavat Act, 1959 XXIV

**1959.**

(e) ^ [14] Municipal Board” means a Municipal Board establi­

shed under the Assam Municipal Act, 1956 and shall **Assam**
include Town Committees established under the said [X] V of IS

Act.

(1) “ Prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under

this Act.

fg) “Regional Council” means a Regional Council cons­

tituted under paragraph 2 of the Sixth Schedule to
the Constitution of India.

**Official** ian- 3. Without prejudice to the. provisions of Articles 346 and.

**guage foi** 347 of the Constitution of India and .subject as hereinafter

offi ci al provided, Assamese shall be used for all or any of the official

ufUrf,°thc# Purposes of the State of Assam :

**State** **of**

**Assam.** **' ’** **,**


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Provided that the English language, so long as the use thereof

is permissible under Article 343 of the Constitution of India, and
thereafter Hindi in place of English, shall also be used for such

official purposes of the Secretariat and the offices of the Heads
of the Departments of the State Government and in such manner
as may be prescribed ;

Provided further that,

(a) all Ordinances promulgated under Article 213 of the

Constitution of India ;

(b) all Acts passed by the State Legislature;
(c) all Bills to be introduced or amendments thereto to

be moved in the Stale Legislature ; and

(d) all Orders, Regulations, Rules and Bye-laws issued by

the State Government under the Constitution of India
or any law made by Parliament or the Legislature
of the State

shall be published in the official Gazette in the Assamese lang­
uage.

Safeguard of 4. Notwithstanding anything in Section 3, only languages which

the use of a i e jn u s e [ immediately before (he commencement of this Act ]

the[6] Au8ton<> s lla ^ continue to be used for administrative and other official

moui Region purposes upto and including the level of the Autonomous Region
and in the or the Autonomous District, as the case may be, until the Regional

Autonomous Council or the District Council in respect of the Autonomous
District. Region or the Autonomous District, as the case may be, by a
majority of not less than two-thirds of the members present and
voting decide in favour of adoption of any other language for any
of the administrative or official purposes within that region or
district.

Safeguard of 5. Notwithstanding anything in Section 3, the Bengali lang-

tJ'ie USr ,o f u a £e he used for administrative and other official purposes

guauei'ulhe [u] P[t0 a n] ‘l iaduding the district level in the district of Cachar until
district <-.f the Mohkuma Parishads arid Municipal Boards of the district in

Cachar a joint meeting by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the
members present and voting decide in favour of adoption of the
official language for use in the district for the aforesaid purposes.

The use «f 6. Notwithstanding anything in Section 3, any exami-

official[1] Ian- [n a t].io n . lie ld . by the Assam . Public Service Commission

guage in res-[w] h>ch immediately before the commencement of this Act used
pect of exa- to be conducted in the English language shall continue to be so
nduat ion conducted I ill such lime as the use I hereof is permissible under

ffie Xam [y c la u s e f2 ) o f A r t i c l e 3 4 3 o f lh e] Constitution of India :

**Public Ser­**
vice Commis­
sion.

Provided that a candidate shall have the right to choose the

language in use in the State of Assam, which was the medium

of his University examination. »


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various°iir,[t!le] ' '^[u] b.i[e c t t 0] th[R] provision of this Act, the State Govern-

uistf.[U]group. [t n e n t] may by notification issued front time to time, direct the

use of the language as may be specified in the notification and
in such parts of the State of Assam as may be specified therein :

Provided that

(a) the rights of the various linguistic groups in respect of

medium of instruction in educational institutions as
laid down in the Constitution of India shall not be
affected ;

(b) the State shall not, in granting aid to educational and

cultural institutions, discriminate against any such

institutions on grounds of language ;

(<;) the rights to appointments in the Assam Public Services

and to contracts and other avocations shall be main­

tained without discrimination on the ground of lan­
guage ; and

(d) in regard to noting in the offices in the region or district

if any member of the staff is unable to note in any

of the district language, the use of English shall be
permitted by the Heads of Departments so long as the
use thereof is permissible under Article 343 of the
Constitution of India.

Powers to ,Q>- bhe Slate Government shall have the power to make

make rules, rules for carrying mil (he purposes of this Act.

B. BAR DA,

Secy to the Govt of Assam Law Deptt


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