THE PUNJAB OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ACT. 1967
(PtJNJAB A ct N o. 5 o f 1967)
Arrangement of Sections
S ections . L
1. Short title, extent and commencement.
2. Definitjons.
3. Punjabi to be official language of the State.
4, Government’s powers to notify the official purposes for which Punjabi shall be used.
5. Language to be used in the Bills, etc.
6. Continuances of use of English Language in State Legislature.
6-A. Authorised Punjabi Translation of Central and State Act, etc.
7. Right of a person to submit representation in any of the languages used in the State.
8. Development of the Hindi Language.
9. Repeal of Punjab Act No. 28 of 1960.
1967 : Pb. Act 5;j o f f i c i a l la n g u a g e 753
TH E PUNJAB OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ACT, 1967i I
(Punjab Act No. 5 of 1967) [Received the assent of the Governor of Punjab on the
29th December, 1967, and first published in the Punjab Government Gazette {Extraordinary), Legislative Supplement, Part I, of khe 29th Decem ber, 1967.]
196lf : Pb. Act 5] OFficiAi, LANGUAciE 156
1 2 3 4
Year No. Short title Whether affected by
Legislation
1967 5 The Punjab Official Amended by Punjab Act 11 of 1969*. Language Act, 1967
Amended by the Adaptation o f Laws Order, 1970.
AN ACT
to provide for the adoption of punjabi as the language to be used for all or any of the official purposes of the State of Punjab.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Punjab in the Eighteenth Year of the Republic of India as follows : —
1. (I) This Act may be called the Punjab Official title, ex- Language Act, 1967. tent and com.
mencement. (2) It extends to the whole of the State of
Punjab. (3) It shall come into force at once.
2. In this Act; unless the context otherwise Definitions, requires,—
(a) “Punjabi” means Punjabi in Gurmukhi script;
^Por Statement of Objects and Reasons, see Punjab Government Gazttte (Extraordinary), 1967, Pages 962-63.
3For Statement of Objects and Reasons, see Punjab Government Gazette (Extraordinary), 1968, page 578.
1s6 Of f ic ia l l a n g u a g e £1967 : Pb. Aci 4
Xb), “State Government” means the Govern ment of the State of Punjab.
SM^lnguage 3. The official language of the State of Punjab of the state. shall be Punjabi.
Powernô notify 4. The State Government may, from time to the official p^- time, by notification, direct that Punjabi shall be Prnifabî shaifbe ^sed for such official purposes of the State and from used. such dates as may be specified in the notification.
Language to be 5. On and from such date as the State Govern- ^ e d in the Bills ment may, by notification, appoint in this behalf, the
language to be used in— (a) all Bills to be introduced, or amendments
thereto to be moved, in ‘[* * *] the Legislature of the State;
(b) all Acts passed by the Legislature of the State;
(c) all Ordinances promulgated by the Gover nor under article 213 of the Constitution, and
(d) all Orders, Rules, Regulations and Bye- laws issued by the State Government under the Constitution or under any law made by Parliament or the Legislature of the State;
shall be Punjabi :
Provided that the State Government may ap point different dates in respect of any of the purposes referred to in clauses (a) to (d) above.
Ŝ of̂ Engiish*̂ Until the State Government otherwise directs language in by notification under section 4, English may continue state Legisia- to be used, in addition to the official language of the
’ State or Hindi for the transaction of business in the Legislature of the State.
^The words “either House of” omitted by the Adaptation of Punjab Laws Order, 1970.
'[6 -A . A translation in Punjabi published under Authorised Pun- the authority of the Governor in the Official Gazette of i f central Im" the State, on and after the date specified by notifica- state Acts, etc. tion
(a) of any Central Act or of any Ordinance Pro mulgated by the President, with respect to any of the matters enumerated in List III of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitu tion;
(b) of any State Act or of any Ordinance pro mulgated by the Governor; or
(c) of any order, rule, regulation or bye-law issued by the State Government under the constitution or under any law made by Parliament or the Legislature of the State; shall be deemed to be an authoritative text thereof in Punjabi.]
7. Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to debar Right of a per- any person to submit a representation for the redress of any grievance to any officer or authority of the any of the lan- State in any of the languages, including Hindi used in used in .■* . . i n IJIGthe State.
8. Without prejudice to the provisions of this Development oS Act, the State Government shall take suitable steps Lauguage to develop the Hindi Language in the State.
9. The Punjab Official Languages Act, 1960, is Repeal of hereby repealed.
I960.
1967 : Pb. Act 5] o f f i c i a l l a n g u a g e 757
’ Section 6-A inserted by Punjab Act 11 o| 1969, section 2,