PIL in Bombay High Court Challenges Mandatory Marathi Rule for Cab Drivers
A public interest litigation has been filed before the Bombay High Court in Mumbai challenging the Maharashtra government’s decision to make a “working knowledge of Marathi language” mandatory for drivers and permit holders of motor cabs.
The plea, filed by advocate Ghanshyam Upadhyay, challenges the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles (Third Amendment) Rules, 2026, which were notified on August 12. The amendment introduces Marathi language requirements for authorisation to drive motor cabs, holding permits, and renewing permits.
The petitioner argued that the requirement is undefined and fails to prescribe any objective proficiency standard, uniform test, or syllabus. The petition also challenged provisions under which continued non-compliance could lead to the suspension and eventual cancellation of a driver's authorisation.
According to the petition, the rule could adversely impact the livelihoods of economically vulnerable drivers. The plea submitted that conditioning an occupation on language proficiency violates constitutional guarantees under Articles 14, 19(1)(g), and 21, calling the measure disproportionate.
The petition noted that the challenge is not against Marathi or its promotion as the official language of Maharashtra, stating that the issue lies in converting linguistic promotion into an occupational disability for a selected class of citizens.
The petitioner also questioned whether the state government followed the mandatory procedure of previous publication under Section 212 of the Motor Vehicles Act before introducing the amended rules. The plea cited a 2017 Bombay High Court judgment that struck down a Marathi-language condition for auto-rickshaw permits because it was not supported by the law in force at the time.
The PIL has sought the quashing of the amendments to the extent that they make Marathi proficiency a condition for livelihood. Alternatively, it requested that the rules be read down to prescribe only a minimal, objective communication standard with multilingual alternatives, without suspension or cancellation solely for language deficiency.
The filing comes after four cab drivers operating through mobile aggregator platforms moved the High Court on August 25 to challenge the compulsory language condition for auto-rickshaw, taxi, and app-based cab drivers.
