​Consider the following statements:
1. The Constitution of India designates Hindi in Devanagari script as the official language of the Government of India.
2. English was also an associate official language for a period of 10 years only from the date of commencement of the Constitution.
3. Marathi and Tamil are among the languages that are also used for official purposes in the Union.
Which of the statements above is/are correct?

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Correct option is C

The correct answer is (c) 1 only

Explanation:

• As per Article 343(1) of the Constitution of India, Hindi in the Devanagari script is the official language of the Union.
• Article 343(2) permitted the use of English for 15 years (not 10 years) from the commencement of the Constitution (i.e., till 1965).
• However, the Official Languages Act, 1963 allowed the continued use of English for official purposes even after 1965. So, English remains an associate official language along with Hindi even today.
• Marathi and Tamil are scheduled languages (under the Eighth Schedule) and are official languages at the state level, not Union (Central Government) level.
• The Union Government uses only Hindi and English for official purposes.
• Thus, they are not used for official purposes of the Union.

Information Booster:

• Part XVII (Articles 343–351) of the Indian Constitution deals with official languages.
• Eighth Schedule currently includes 22 languages.
• States can adopt any of the scheduled languages as official state languages.
• The Official Languages Act (1963) ensures the continued use of English for official purposes of the Union along with Hindi.

Constitutional Provisions on Language (Articles 343–348)