Maharashtra grants cab drivers extra year to learn Marathi, court closes petition

The Maharashtra government has granted cab and auto rickshaw drivers an additional year to acquire working knowledge of Marathi, prompting the Bombay High Court to dispose of a petition challenging the language mandate.

Additional government pleader Jyoti Chavan informed a Bench of acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad about the one-year extension, after which the court accepted the statement and closed the proceedings.

Extension follows driver delegation

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the extended timeline on Thursday, August 27, 2026, following a meeting with a delegation representing drivers. The decision halts immediate enforcement action against non-Marathi-speaking drivers.

The public interest litigation, filed through advocate Vivek Shukla on behalf of four cab drivers, Mohd Kasim Ahmad, Mohd Tauseef Shaikh, Siyad Ahamad, and Sadik Nasir Ali Khan, had challenged the August 12 government notification as unconstitutional.

Constitutional and legal grounds

The petitioners argued the rule violated their fundamental rights under Articles 14 (right to equality), 19 (freedom to carry on trade and profession), and 21 (right to life) of the Constitution. They contended it was ultra vires the Motor Vehicles Act, which prescribes no language requirement for driving licences.

"The Motor Vehicles Act confers no power upon the State Government to prescribe working knowledge of any language as a qualification for a driver, as a condition of a badge, or as a condition of a permit, and confers no power to suspend or revoke a badge on such a ground," the plea stated.

Livelihood threat to migrant drivers

The petition warned that lakhs of poor and migrant drivers faced the imminent threat of badge suspension and permit cancellation due to the Marathi knowledge requirement, jeopardising their livelihoods. The petitioners had sought a stay on the rule's implementation.

Enforcement triggers panic

The BJP-led state government announced the Marathi mandate in April, setting an August 15 deadline while organising language classes for drivers. On August 20, the transport department began issuing notices to commercial passenger vehicle drivers, chiefly autorickshaw and taxi operators, for inadequate Marathi knowledge during statewide checks, sparking panic and flash protests among thousands of non-native drivers.

Transport Minister Sarnaik had earlier said drivers failing the Marathi test would receive one month to learn the language, with badge suspension for three months for continued non-compliance.

Source: The Hindu