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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Short description|Act of making Meitei as an official language}}
{{Contains special characters|Meitei}}
{{About|an act that made [[Meitei language]] the official language of [[Manipur state]]|the act that made the same language to be an officially recognised [[scheduled language]] of the [[Republic of India]]|Seventy-first Amendment of the Constitution of India|the act that legalize Meitei as the [[national language]] of the erstwhile sovereign [[Manipur Kingdom]]|Manipur State Constitution Act 1947}}
{{Infobox legislation
|short_title = Manipur Official Language Act, 1979<br />({{langx|mni|{{Script|Mtei|ꯃꯅꯤꯄꯨꯔ ꯑꯣꯐꯤꯁꯤꯌꯦꯜ ꯂꯦꯡꯒ꯭ꯋꯦꯖ ꯑꯦꯛ꯭ꯠ}}|}})
|legislature = [[Manipur Legislative Assembly]] 
|image = Meitei language (alias Manipuri language) is the official language of the Government of Manipur.jpg
|imagesize =
|image_upright =
|imagealt =
|caption = [[Emblem of Manipur]] and the [[endonym]] of [[Meiteilon]], an official language of the state, written in [[Meetei Mayek script]] and [[Bengali script]], the official concurrent writing systems of the [[Government of Manipur]]
|long_title = Manipur Official Language Act, 1979
|citation =
|territorial_extent = [[Manipur]]
|considered_by = [[Government of Manipur]] 
|enacted_by = [[Manipur Legislative Assembly]] 
|date_enacted = 27 October 1979 
|date_passed = 27 October 1979 
|considered_by2 = [[Manipur Legislative Assembly]] 
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|date_amendments_considered = 10 March 2021 
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|amended_by = Manipur Official Language (Amendment) Act, 2021 
|related_legislation = 
|summary = an act to declare the [[official language]] of the [[State of Manipur]]
|keywords =
|status = current 
}}

The '''Manipur Official Language Act, 1979''' (Act 14 of 1979) ({{langx|mni|{{Script|Mtei|ꯃꯅꯤꯄꯨꯔ ꯑꯣꯐꯤꯁꯤꯌꯦꯜ ꯂꯦꯡꯒ꯭ꯋꯦꯖ ꯑꯦꯛ꯭ꯠ}}|}}) is an [[act (document)]] that declares the [[official language]] of the [[State of Manipur]]. It was passed by the [[Manipur Legislative Assembly]], approved by the [[Governor of Manipur]]. It makes [[Meitei language]] (officially known as [[Manipuri language]]) as the official language of the [[Government of Manipur]]. It was initially enacted in 1979 but later amended in 2021, to replace [[Bengali script]]'s sole usage by the concurrent usage of both [[Meitei script]] (officially known as [[Meetei Mayek]]) and Bengali script, for writing the Meitei language.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Maisnamba |first=B. M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m9coEQAAQBAJ&dq=manipur+official+language+act&pg=PA243 |title=KHORIROL AKHOMBA |date=2024-10-10 |publisher=BM Maisnamba |pages=243 |language=mni}}</ref>

== Act enabled in 1979 ==
The Manipur Official Language Act, 1979 (Manipur Act 14 of 1979) was enabled by the [[Government of Manipur]] on 27 October 1979.<ref name=":indiacode_1979">{{Cite web |title=The Manipur Official Language Act, 1979 |url=https://www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/13438?}}</ref><ref name=":PRSIndia_1979">{{Cite web |title=The Manipur Official Language Act, 1979 Act No. 14 of 1979 Keywords |url=https://prsindia.org/files/bills_acts/acts_states/manipur/1979/Manipur%20Act%2014%20of%201979.pdf |website=PRSIndia}}</ref> It stated the following:
{{Quote|WHEREAS it is expedient to provide for the adoption of

[[Manipuri language|Manipuri]] as the language to be used for the official purposes of the [[State of Manipur]].

BE it enacted by the Legislature of Manipur in the Thirtieth Year of the [[Republic of India]] as follows:

1. (1) This Act may be called the Manipur Official Language 1979.

(2) It extends to the whole of Manipur.

(3) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government may, by notification appoint and different dates may be appointed for different official purposes of Manipur.<ref name=":indiacode_1979" /><ref name=":PRSIndia_1979" />}}

=== Official definition of "Manipuri" ===
The clause (f) of the section 2 of the Manipur Official Language Act, 1979 (Manipur Act 14 Of 1979) defines the meaning of [[Manipuri language]] as follows:<ref name=":indiacode_1979" /><ref name=":PRSIndia_1979" />
{{Quote|“[[Manipuri Language]]” means [[Meiteilon]] written in [[Bengali Script]] and spoken by the majority of Manipur population.<ref name=":indiacode_1979" /><ref name=":PRSIndia_1979" />}}

=== Official language of the state ===
The section 3 of The Manipur Official Language Act, 1979 (Manipur Act 14 Of 1979) explains the official language status of the state as follows:<ref name=":indiacode_1979" /><ref name=":PRSIndia_1979" />
{{Quote|3. (1) Subject to the provision of section 7, [[Manipuri language]] shall, on and from the commencement of this Act, be the language used in respect of all or any of the official purposes of the State.

(2) The form of numerals to be used for the official purposes of the State shall be the international form of [[Indian numerals]].

(3) Notwithstanding anything in sub-section (1) for a period of fifteen years from the commencement of this Act the English Language shall continue to be used, for all the official purposes of the State Government, at the level of the Secretariat and such other Offices as may be specified from time to time in the official gazette, for which it was being used immediately before such commencement:

Provided that the Governor may, during the said period, by, order authorise the use of the Manipuri language in addition to the English language.<ref name=":indiacode_1979" /><ref name=":PRSIndia_1979" />}}

== Amendment in 2021 ==
The Manipur Official Language (Amendment) Act, 2021 (Manipur Act No. 7 of 2021) received permission from the [[Governor of Manipur]] on 25 February 2021. Afterwards, it was published in the Official Gazette of the [[Government of Manipur]] on 10 March 2021.<ref name=":manipurgovtpress_2021">{{Cite web |title=The Manipur Official Language (Amendment) Act, 2021 (Manipur Act No. 7 Of 2021) |url=http://manipurgovtpress.nic.in/en/details_gazzete/?gazette=658 |website=[[Government of Manipur]]}}</ref>

The act states the following:

{{boxquote|BE it enacted by the Legislature of Manipur in the Seventy-second Year of the [[Republic of India]] as follows:-

1. (1) This Act may be called the Manipur Official Language (Amendment) Act, 2021.

(2) It shall come into force with effect from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette of Manipur.

2. In section 2 of the Manipur Official Language Act, 1979, for clause (f), the following shall be substituted, namely,-

"[[Manipuri Language]]" means [[Meeteilon]] written in [[Meetei Mayek]] and spoken by the majority of Manipur population:

Provided that the concurrent use of [[Bengali Script]] and Meetei Mayek shall be allowed in addition to English language, for a period upto 10(ten) years from the date of commencement of this Act.<ref name=":manipurgovtpress_2021" />}}

== Causes of amendment ==
As a part of the [[Meitei script movement]], a group named [[Meetei Erol Eyek Loinasillol Apunba Lup]] ([[MEELAL]]) pressurized the [[government of Manipur]] to make Meitei script an [[official writing system]] for the state's official language, [[Meitei language]], in place of the [[Bengali script]], demanding that the legal wording, "written in Bengali Script" in the Manipur Official Language Act, 1979, should be corrected and replaced with "written in Meetei Mayek script".<ref>{{Cite web|title=MEELAL's 16th foundation day: Indigenous script belongs to all communities: MEELAL|url=https://www.thesangaiexpress.com/Encyc/2019/8/18/IMPHAL-Aug-18-MEELAL-Meetei-Erol-Eyek-Loinasillol-Apunba-Lup-observed-its-16th-foundation-day-at-GM-Hall-Imphal-Sunday-.html|website=www.thesangaiexpress.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=MEELAL's 16th foundation day : Indigenous script belongs to all communities: MEELAL : 19th aug19 ~ E-Pao! Headlines|url=https://e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=18..190819.aug19|website=e-pao.net}}</ref>

== Related pages ==
{{Portal bar|Asia|History|India|Language|Politics|Writing}}
* [[Languages with legal status in India]]
* [[Directorate of Language Planning and Implementation]]
* [[Meitei language movement]]
** [[Meitei linguistic purism movement]]
** [[Meitei classical language movement]]
** [[Meitei associate official language movement]]
* [[Meitei language festival]]
* [[Meitei language day]]
* [[Meitei poetry day]]
* [[Meitei script movement]]
** [[Meetei Erol Eyek Loinasillol Apunba Lup]]

== References ==
{{Notelist}}
{{Reflist}}
== Other websites ==
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Meitei language]]
[[Category:Meitei script]]
[[Category:Government of Manipur]]
[[Category:Language law]]
[[Category:1970s in Manipur]]
[[Category:Politics of Manipur]]
[[Category:Language policy in India]]
[[Category:1979 in Indian law]]
[[Category:2021 in Indian law]]
[[Category:State legislation in India]]

Manipur Official Language Act, 1979 - Revision history

EliseMacnaghten: put up initial article initial version