Uproar in hills over judicial magistrate’scomment on use of Nepali language in court

DEEP GAZMER, EOI,  DARJEELING, AUGUST 19, 2025 :  As the hills of Darjeeling get ready to celebrate Bhasa Diwas on Wednesday, a remark by a judicial magistrate has caused uproar on the eve of the celebration.

The Bar Associations of Mungpoo, Darjeeling, Mirik and Kurseong abstained from work on Tuesday in protest against the Judicial Magistrate of the Mungpoo court asking the staff from speaking in Nepali language.

"We have received complaints from the staff that the judicial magistrate had asked them not to speak in Nepali. The staff was told that Nepali was a language of Nepal. We condemn and protest the irresponsible remarks of the judicial magistrate," senior advocate Shristiraj Rai of the Mungpoo court said.

Bar Association of Darjeeling President, Taranga Pandit said such remarks were serious and dangerous."Nepali is the language used for witness and official communication in the court. Besides, remarks like this can cause communal disharmony. The Nepali language is included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution," he said.

Different political parties in the hills also criticized and protested the judicial magistrate's remarks. The Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) sought the intervention of the West Bengal government.

BGPM President Anit Thapa submitted a memorndum to the West Bengal Labour and Law Minister Moloy Ghatak in Kolkata. "I am deeply disturbed and perturbed by the negative narratives questioning the constitutionality of Nepali. Matters escalated when a judicial magistrate reportedly remarked, Nepali is a language of Nepal, and not India," he said.

Thapa said the statement was not only factually incorrect but also undermined the linguistic rights guaranteed to the Gorkha community. "I met the Law Minister and strongly registered my objection. I have requested the law department for urgent intervention to resolve this matter swiftly to safeguard our constitutional rights and ensure peace and order in the region,” Thapa said. He is also the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Chief Executive.

“The allegation states that the judicial magistrate refused to allow the use of Nepali language in court proceedings and even in normal communication among employees and legal professionals. The magistrate reportedly warned and restrained advocates and the staff from speaking Nepali, directing them to use only Bengali or Hindi,” Thapa said.

Indian Gorkha Janashakti Front (IGJF) put up posters in Darjeeling town in protest and alleged it was a provocation by the West Bengal government.

"If someone responsible as the judicial magistrate carries such an attitude, then how will the Gorkhas get justice? It’s neo-colonization of the Gorkha community by the West Bengal government. We condemn the remarks of the judicial magistrate which is an insult to us," IGJF chief convener, Ajoy Edwards said.

"The 2017 agitation would not have taken place, but for the State government imposing Bengali language. The result is there for everyone to see even today. We are not happy to be inside Bengal because we keep getting attacked culturally and linguistically," he said.

The IGJF highlighted the recent directive of the West Bengal government making it compulsory for screening of Bengali films at 3 pm and 9 pm in multiplexes across the state.

Darjeeling MP Raju Bista said it was a disturbing pattern of systematic erasure and prejudice faced by the Gorkha community across the country. "To question the legitimacy of speaking Nepali in Indian courts is not only ignorance but also dangerous. Such instances are not isolated but are part of a disturbing pattern. It sends a message that linguistic and cultural minorities can be dismissed and devalued, even within the very systems meant to protect them,” he said.