RAS question
Article 343 declares the official language of the Union as:
Correct answer: (B) Hindi in Devanagari script.
Article 343(1) declares Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of the Union.
Explanation
Article 343 sits in Part XVII, Chapter I of the Constitution, which deals with the language of the Union. Clause (1) gives the direct rule: the Union's official language is Hindi in Devanagari script. The same article also specifies that, for official Union purposes, the form of numerals is the international form of Indian numerals. This is why the answer is not simply "Hindi" in a loose sense, and not English as the Union's official language under Article 343(1). For exam framing, English was to continue for 15 years after 1950, and the Official Languages Act, 1963 extended its use alongside Hindi, but that continuation does not change the Article 343(1) declaration.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) English continued for official use after 1950 and later under the Official Languages Act, 1963, but Article 343(1) itself declares Hindi in Devanagari script as the Union's official language.
- (C) The Eighth Schedule lists recognised languages, but Article 343(1) is about the Union's official language and does not declare all Eighth Schedule languages for that purpose.
- (D) Hindi and English are both used in Union official work because English use was continued, but Article 343(1)'s constitutional declaration names Hindi in Devanagari script, not both languages together.
Concept
This tests the constitutional scheme of official language under Part XVII, especially the distinction between the Article 343 declaration and the continued practical use of English. It recurs in RAS because language provisions link constitutional text with administrative practice.