New Delhi:
In Coimbatore, the Tamil Classical Conference is, at a cost of 382 crores, celebrating the language and culture of Tamil Nadu.
In Chennai, lawyers are on a hunger fast to demand that Tamil be made the official court language.
Now, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) asks the Supreme Court to consider that demand.
The petition, filed by the All India Junior Advocates' Association, points out those high courts in Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh allow Hindi.
The lawyers involved with the petition claim that they got their law degrees in Tamil and find it tough to argue and present their cases in English.
So they want the Supreme Court to order the Union government to conduct a study that would look at the feasibility of courts that operate in Tamil.
In 2008, the Chief Justice of India had rejected a similar proposal saying as per the transfer policy of judges only non-Tamils are posted as Chief Justice of Madras High court.
A request for a review of that decision is pending with the Home Ministry. A similar request from West Bengal for making Bangla the official court language of Calcutta High Court was also rejected. The Chief Justice of India has to recommend the proposal to President.