The Maharashtra Government Wednesday stayed the proposed Hindi-language examinations for its gazetted and non-gazetted officers and employees after strong opposition from Marathi groups and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
Marathi Language Minister Uday Samant announced that the examinations scheduled for June 28 have been put on hold and said the government would review whether such examinations were necessary at all.
“If it is found that there is no need for such an examination, then it will never be conducted again,” Samant said.
Marathi-language activists and political groups had questioned the need for Hindi testing in a state where Marathi is the official language.
The development comes weeks after the Maharashtra Government pushed for auto-rickshaw drivers to know Marathi, reviving wider debates around language, identity and regional politics in the state.
The MNS and the language body, Marathi Abhyas Kendra, argued that even though the Hindi exams are old, continuing or actively conducting them sends a message that Hindi is being prioritised in a Marathi-speaking state.
Threats of protests
Reacting strongly to the decision, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande earlier accused the government of attempting to impose Hindi “through the backdoor” and warned of agitation at examination centres if the June 28 test is conducted.
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While speaking to reporters, Deshpande said, “We are already insisting that Marathi should be spoken and respected in Maharashtra. Marathi is the state language. Then why should officers here be forced to appear for a Hindi examination?”
He alleged that the government was trying to “please leaders sitting in Delhi” and claimed the move reflected a larger political attempt to promote Hindi in non-Hindi-speaking states.
Issuing a direct warning to the government, Deshpande said the MNS would strongly oppose the examination if it were made compulsory for officers. “If the government forcibly conducts this examination, then whatever happens at the examination centres on June 28, the state government will be responsible for it,” he said.
He further questioned why officers in Maharashtra should be required to learn Hindi when Marathi itself was still not being fully implemented in administration and official communication. “This is an indirect attempt to impose Hindi. We will not allow such efforts in Maharashtra,” he said.
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In a statement, the Marathi Abhyas Kendra’s president, Dr Deepak Pawar, questioned the need for Hindi examinations in a Marathi-speaking state and said making Hindi testing part of service conditions for government employees was unnecessary.
“Marathi is Maharashtra’s official language. Government employees should be able to work and communicate in Marathi. But when Marathi is already the language of administration, why is there a need to test employees’ Hindi knowledge every year?” Pawar said.
The organisation argued that Marathi-speaking people generally do not face difficulty with basic Hindi communication and questioned whether similar Hindi examinations were conducted for government employees in other non-Hindi-speaking states, such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, or West Bengal.
The Marathi Abhyas Kendra had also warned of protests outside the Language Directorate office if the government failed to withdraw the examination plan.
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Language remains a politically sensitive issue in Maharashtra, where parties across the political spectrum have often taken strong positions on Marathi identity and its use in public life.
The MNS has repeatedly campaigned for wider use of Marathi in government offices, businesses, educational institutions and public transport.
The party has also opposed what it calls attempts by BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state to gradually expand the use of Hindi in administration and education. Similar controversies have emerged in the past over Marathi signboards, Hindi in schools and language requirements in public services.
According to the Maharashtra Government’s Language Directorate, the Hindi examination system for government employees dates back to 1951, when it was introduced by the then Bombay government to enable officials to use Hindi for administrative work in line with constitutional provisions.
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A resolution issued on September 1, 1951, made it mandatory for employees to pass recognised Hindi exams within three years of appointment, failing which annual increments could be withheld. From April 1, 1954, candidates who had not cleared the exams were rendered ineligible for government service.
In 1955, the system was formalised into Higher and Lower Grade examinations based on job categories, with senior officials required to take the Higher Grade test and junior staff the Lower Grade, along with oral tests for some roles.
After the formation of Maharashtra in 1960, the system continued with several exemptions introduced over time, including for those who had studied Hindi, were above 45 years of age, or belonged to technical cadres.
Currently, the exams are conducted twice a year, with over 33,000 candidates appearing for the Higher Grade and more than 4,600 for the Lower Grade so far.
