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{{Short description|Official language of Puducherry}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2020}}
The '''official standing of languages in [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]]''' is governed by the 1963 assembly resolution to continue French as official language and the subsequent ''Pondicherry Official Language Act, 1965'' which states under the heading "Official language of the Union territory" that [[Tamil language|Tamil]] is the language to be used for all or any official purposes in the Union Territory, while [[Malayalam]] and [[Telugu language|Telugu]] may be used in [[Mahé, Puducherry|Mahé]] and [[Yanam]] respectively. The Act also stipulates that [[Indian English|English]] may be used for any of the official purposes of the Union territory.

An official mention in [[Rajya Sabha]] Parliamentary debates during 2006 confirmed that the five official languages of Puducherry are '''[[Tamil language|Tamil]]''', '''[[English language|English]]''', '''[[Malayalam language|Malayalam]]''', '''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]''' and '''[[French language|French]]'''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GwsNAQAAMAAJ |title=Parliamentary Debates: Official Report, Volume 208, Issues 18-19 |author=India. Parliament. Rajya Sabha |date=2006|page=263 |website=www.gstcouncil.gov.in |publisher=Council of States Secretariat |access-date=3 August 2022}}</ref>

== 1956 Treaty of Cession ==
[[French language|French]] was the [[official language]] of [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] under the Treaty of Cession 1956. French was also the official language of the ''Établissements français dans l'Inde'' ([[French India]]) and it remained as [[de jure]] official language of Pondicherry U.T by the ''' ''Article XXVIII'' of [[Treaty establishing De Jure Cession of French Establishments in India|Traité de Cession]]''' which states that,
* {{lang|fr|Le français restera langue officielle des Établissements aussi longtemps que les répresentants élus de la population n'auront pas pris une décision différente}}<br />- The French language shall remain the official language of the Establishments so long as the elected representatives of the people shall not decide otherwise).

While the Official Gazette of Puducherry has a trilingual heading (in English, Tamil and French), it is published exclusively in English.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gstcouncil.gov.in/sites/default/files/sgst-notification/PUD-(R)-(18)-9.pdf |title=La Gazette de L'État de Poudouchéry The Gazette of Puducherry |author= |date=25 January 2018 |website=www.gstcouncil.gov.in |publisher= |access-date=30 June 2022 |quote=}}</ref>

== 1963 Resolution by Representative Assembly ==
{{see|Pondicherry Representative Assembly}}
The de jure transfer of [[French establishments in India]] was on 16 August 1962. Then [[Second Pondicherry Representative Assembly]] had passed resolution by vote in May 1963 to express its desire to continue the official status of the French language.<ref name="1963assemblyresolution">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SbHeDwAAQBAJ|title=The Legacy of French Rule in India (1674-1954): An investigation of a process of Creolization|author= Animesh Rai|publisher= Institut français de Pondichéry|year=2020|isbn=9791036549892 }}</ref>{{rp|151–152}} However, the same resolution expressed its want of the maternal languages spoken in the union territory to be considered along with Hindi and English as associative languages to French for all official and practical purposes.

==Union Territories Act, 1963==
For laying down the rules and regulations related to the union territories of India the act was passed in 1963.<ref name="1963Act">{{cite web |url=https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/GovernmentUnionterritoriesAct1963_2.pdf |title=The Government of Union Territories Act, 1963 |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |access-date=8 June 2020}}</ref> This act once again reconfirmed the assembly resolution<ref name=1963assemblyresolution/> that French shall continue to be used as an official language in Puduchuerry unless its legislative assembly does not decide otherwise.

==Pondicherry Official Language Act, 1965==
Considering the 1963 assembly resolution and 1963 act, the new additional official languages were recognized by The Pondicherry Official Language Act, 1965 (Act No. 3 of 1965).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://districts.ecourts.gov.in/pondicherry/history |title=History of DISTRICT COURT OF PUDUCHERRY |access-date=2020-06-12 }}</ref> This act established that "''the Tamil language shall [...] be the language to be used for all or any of the official purposes of the Union Territory''. It states that ''Provided that the Administrator may by like Notification, direct that in the case of Mahe area, the Malayalam language, and in the case of Yanam area, the Telugu language may be used for such official purposes and subject to such conditions as may be specified in such notification''". Finally, it states that "''Notwithstanding anything contained in section 3, and from the commencement of this Act, the English language may be used for all or any of the official purposes of the Union Territory''".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lawsofindia.org/pdf/puducherry/1965/1965Pondicherry3.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-06-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911084318/http://www.lawsofindia.org/pdf/puducherry/1965/1965Pondicherry3.pdf |archive-date=2014-09-11 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

During the early twentieth century, Tamil gained equal status alongside the existing French language. After the merger with India, Telugu and Malayalam also obtained the same status although with some restrictions. Though the status of each languages varies with respect to each district, when communicating in between districts of different languages, generally English is used for convenience.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://sabt.org.in/npmb-india/downloads/travel-info.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-06-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402145006/http://sabt.org.in/npmb-india/downloads/travel-info.pdf |archive-date=2015-04-02 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ecourts.gov.in/pondicherry/history|title=History (Pondicherry)|publisher=District Courts of Pondicherry|accessdate=12 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402195506/http://ecourts.gov.in/pondicherry/history|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The three official languages are:<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/English-to-continue-as-link-language-in-Puducherry-Court/articleshow/42400463.cms|title=English to continue as link language in Puducherry: Court|newspaper=The Times of India|date=14 September 2014}}</ref>
#[[Tamil language|Tamil]]: Language used by the union territory government, especially used when communicating within and between the Tamil majority districts of ([[Pondicherry district|Pondicherry]] and [[Karikal district|Karaikal]]) along with issuing official decrees.
#[[Telugu language|Telugu]]: Used when communicating within Telugu district [[Yanam district|Yanam]].
#[[Malayalam language|Malayalam]]: Used when communicating within Malayalam district [[Mahé district|Mahé]].

==Demographics==
In 2011, the number of people speaking in each official languages was:<ref>{{Cite web | title=India - C-16: Population by mother tongue, Puducherry - 2011 | url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/10218 | access-date=2025-04-07 | website=censusindia.gov.in}}</ref>
*'''[[Tamil language|Tamil]]''': 1,100,976 (In the Pondicherry and Karikal districts)
*'''[[Telugu people|Telugu]]''': 74,347 (In the Yanam district)
*'''[[Malayalam]]''': 47,973 (In the Mahe district)
*'''[[French language|French]]''': Likely around 300

==See also==
*[[Puducherry Legislative Assembly]]
*[[Government of Puducherry]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.py.gov.in/ Pondicherry official website]

[[Category:Dravidian languages]]
[[Category:Languages of India]]
[[Category:Culture of Puducherry]]

Official languages of Puducherry - Revision history

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