Maharashtra Auto, Taxi Drivers Get To 1 Year To Learn Marathi: D Fadnavis

The Maharashtra government has given auto-rickshaw, taxi and cab drivers one year to learn functional Marathi, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday after representatives of drivers' organisations sought more time, saying that people of different ages and educational backgrounds work in the sector.

Fadnavis said representatives of auto and rickshaw drivers' organisations met him and expressed their support for the requirement that people working in Mumbai should learn functional Marathi.

"Today, people from the auto drivers' and rickshaw drivers' organisations met with me. They first expressed their support for the idea that functional Marathi should be learned by those working in Mumbai. They all want to learn it, but along with that, they also said that people of various ages are in this profession, and many have dropped out of studies a long time ago," Fadnavis said.

The Chief Minister said the government had taken into account the difficulties faced by drivers from different age groups and educational backgrounds while retaining the requirement for those working in Mumbai to have a basic working knowledge of Marathi.

"Because of this, learning Marathi in such a short time is difficult for them. They have prepared a very comprehensive plan to teach functional Marathi. They have demanded that they be given one year for this task. The state government has accepted their point and is giving them one year. No action will be taken against them for one year," he added.

The announcement comes amid a legal challenge to a Maharashtra government notification issued earlier this month that made working knowledge of Marathi compulsory for auto-rickshaw, taxi and app-based cab drivers.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Bombay High Court through advocate Vivek Shukla, challenging the notification. The matter is expected to be mentioned before the Chief Justice on Friday for urgent directions.

The petition has been filed by four app-based cab drivers. They have argued that the requirement violates their fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution and is beyond the scope of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, which does not prescribe any language requirement for driving licences.

The petitioners have also said that the rule could affect lakhs of poor and migrant drivers by putting their badges and permits at risk and could threaten their livelihoods.

The PIL seeks an immediate stay on the notification to prevent hardship to nearly 9.65 lakh drivers across Maharashtra, according to advocate Vivek Shukla, counsel for the petitioners.

The Maharashtra government had made practical knowledge of Marathi mandatory for commercial passenger vehicle drivers, including auto-rickshaw, taxi and app-based cab drivers, from August 12.

The requirement was announced by Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik and formalised through the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Rules, 2026, which introduced language requirements into the existing 1989 framework.

Under the amended rules, drivers who fail to demonstrate a working knowledge of Marathi could face suspension of their driving licence authorisation for three months. Repeated violations could lead to permanent cancellation of their permits.

On August 22, the Maharashtra Transport Department conducted a statewide exercise to assess drivers' knowledge of Marathi. A total of 5,211 drivers were tested in Mumbai and other parts of the state.

Following the exercise, notices were issued to 777 drivers, directing them to acquire practical knowledge of Marathi within one month, failing which further action could have been taken, including suspension or cancellation of their driving licences.

Of the 777 drivers identified, 722 were from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, according to officials.

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