Madras High Court Directs Review of Mandatory Tamil Announcements on Flights to Tamil Nadu

The Madras High Court has instructed the Ministry of Civil Aviation to consider mandatory Tamil announcements on domestic flights to and from Tamil Nadu following a PIL by C. Kanagaraj.

Key Points

• The Madras High Court directed the Ministry of Civil Aviation to review a proposal for mandatory Tamil announcements on domestic flights to and from Tamil Nadu.
• The directive followed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by C. Kanagaraj, President of the World Tamil Research Trust.
• Kanagaraj noted that Tamil is used for flight announcements in countries like Singapore and Malaysia.
• The court’s division bench emphasized that it could not issue a positive direction but could instruct the Central government to consider the representation within 12 weeks.
• The PIL has been pending since 2021 and has now been disposed of with the court’s directive.

The Madras High Court has instructed the Ministry of Civil Aviation to review a proposal for making Tamil announcements mandatory on all domestic flights operating to and from airports in Tamil Nadu. This decision emerged from a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by C. Kanagaraj, President of the World Tamil Research Trust, who argued that Tamil should be included in flight announcements within the state, similar to practices in countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.

On Tuesday, Acting Chief Justice D. Krishnakumar and Justice K. Kumaresh Babu heard the case. While the court stated that it could not issue a direct order for mandatory announcements as sought in the PIL, it did direct the Central government to consider the petitioner’s representation within a period of 12 weeks.

Kanagaraj’s petition, which has been pending since 2021, highlighted that flight announcements in Tamil are already made in several foreign countries and questioned why similar practices could not be adopted on domestic flights within Tamil Nadu. He urged the court to mandate Tamil announcements to better serve Tamil-speaking passengers and promote the language’s use in official and public domains.

The court’s directive reflects a growing awareness of linguistic inclusivity in public services and acknowledges the importance of regional languages in enhancing accessibility and comfort for local travelers. The Ministry of Civil Aviation will now review the proposal, taking into account the court’s recommendation and the representation made by Kanagaraj.

This move could set a precedent for incorporating regional languages in flight announcements across India, promoting cultural recognition and respect for linguistic diversity in the country’s vast and varied demographic landscape.