The Assam Official Language Act, 1960 (Single Document)
# ASSAM ACT NO.XXXIII OF 1960

 [Received the assent of the Governor on the 17th December 1960]

 THE ASSAM OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ACT, 1960

 AN

 ACT

_to declare the Official Language of the State of Assam._

**Preamble.** Whereas Article 345 of the Constitution 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
official purposes of the state and for matters hereinafter
appearing;

It is hereby enacted in the Eleventh Year of the Republic of
India as follows :

**Short title,**
**extent and**
**commencement.**


**1.** (1) This Act may be called the Assam official language Act,

1960.

(2) It extends to the whole of the State of Assam.

(3) It shall come into force on such date as the State

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

Provided that the date or dates appointed by the State
Government in respect of any of the parts of the State of
Assam shall not be later than **[1][ten] years from the date the**
assent to this Act is first published in the official Gazette.


1. Subs. by Assam Act No. XXII of 1964.


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**Definitions.** **2.** In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or
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 Constituted

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

**1[*        *         *          *            *]**

**2[*        *         *           *            *]**

(f) “Prescribed” means prescribed by rules made under this

Act.

(g) “Regional Council” means a Regional Council

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


**Official**
**language for**
**official purposes**
**of the State of**
**Assam.**


**3.** Without prejudice to the provisions of Articles 346 and 347 of
the Constitution of India and Subject as hereinafter provided,
Assamese shall be used for all or any of the official purpose of
the State of Assam:

Provided that the English language, so long as the use
thereof is permissible **[3][for the official purposes of the Union**
under any law made by the Parliament in this behalf] 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:


1. Omitted by Assam Act No. XXIII of 1961.
2. Omitted by Assam Act No. XXIII of 1961.
3. Subs. by Assam Act NO. XXII of 1964.


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**Safeguard of the**
**use of language**
**in the**
**Autonomous**
**Region and in**
**the Autonomous**
**District.**

**Safeguard of the**
**use of Bengali**
**language in the**
**district Cachar.**


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 State 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
language.

**4.** Notwithstanding anything in Section 3, only languages which
are in use immediately before the commencement of this Act
shall continue to be used for administrative and other official
purposes upto and including the level of the Autonomous
Region or the Autonomous District, as the case may be, until
the Regional Council or the District Council in respect of the
Autonomous 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.

**5.** **1[Without prejudice to the provisions contained in Section 3,**
the Bengali Language shall be used for administrative and other
official purposes upto and including the district level in the
district of Cachar.]

**2[5A.** Without prejudice to the provisions contained in Section 3, the
Bodo Language in Devanagri script shall be used as an
Associate Official Language for all or any of the official
purposes of the State of Assam as are specified in the Schedule.


1. Subs. by Assam Act No. XXIII of 1961.
2. Ins. by Assam Act No. VI of 1985.
3. subs. by Assam Act No. XI of 2021


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**The use of**
**English as**
**official language**
**in respect of**
**examination**
**conducted by the**
**Assam public**
**Service**
**Commission.**

**Rights of the**
**various**
**linguistic group.**


**6.** Notwithstanding anything in Section 3, any examination held
by the Assam Public Service Commission which immediately
before the commencement of this Act used to be conducted in
the English language shall continue to be so conducted till such
time as the use thereof is permissible **[1][for the official purposes**
of the Union under any law made by the Parliament in this
behalf]:

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;

**7.** Subject to the provision of this Act, the State Government may
by notification issued from 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;

(c) the rights to appointments in the Assam public Services

and to contracts and other avocations shall be
maintained without discrimination on the ground of
language; and

(d) in regard to nothing 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 **[2][for the official purposes of the Union**
under any law made by the Parliament in this behalf]


1. Subs. by Assam Act No. XXII of 1964.
2. Subs. by Assam Act No. XXII of 1964.


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**Powers to make**
**rules.**


**8.** 1[(1) The State Government shall have the power to make rules

for carrying out the purposes of this Act.]

**2[(2) Every rule made under this section shall be laid as soon as**

may be after it is made, before the Assam Legislative
Assembly while it is in session for a total period of
fourteen days which may be comprised in one session or
in two successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the
session in which it is so laid or the sessions immediately
following, the Assam Legislative Assembly agree in
making any modification in the rule or the Assam
Legislative Assembly agree that the rule should not be
made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such
modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be ; so,
however, that any such modification or annulment shall be
without prejudice to the validity of anything previously
done under that rule.]

**3[SCHEDULE**

**(See Section 5 A)**

(1) Entertaining applications in Bodo presented by members of

the public.

(2) Receiving documents in Bodo presented for registration with

English copy as long as the use thereof is permissible for the
official purposes of the Union under any law made by the
Parliament in this behalf, and thereafter Hindi in place of
English or Assamese copy thereof.

(3) Publication of :
(i) all Acts passed by the State Legislature in Bodo;

(ii) all Orders, Regulations, Rules and Byelaws issued by

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

(4) Publication of Government advertisements in Bodo.]


1. Ins. by Assam Act No. XXII of 1964.
2. Ins. by Assam Act No. XXII of 1964.
3. Ins. by Assam Act No. VI of 1985


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