Telangana’s Telugu Proficiency Rule for Judges Upheld by Supreme Court

Supreme Court Affirms Telugu Language Requirement for Telangana Civil Judges

The Supreme Court has ruled that aspiring civil judges in Telangana must be proficient in Telugu. This decision comes after the court rejected a plea challenging a state rule that mandates Telugu language skills as a qualification for these judicial positions.

Mohd Shujath Hussain, the petitioner, argued that the Telangana Judicial (Service and Cadre) Rules, 2023, should have included Urdu as an acceptable language option. He pointed out that Urdu was recognized as the second official language of the state in 2017 and that he had studied in the Urdu medium.

However, a bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and A.G. Masih upheld the High Court’s earlier decision, which had affirmed the need for Telugu proficiency. The written exam for civil judge positions includes a 30-mark section requiring candidates to translate Telugu text into English.