Right to Submit Grievance Petitions in Any Language
Official heading: “Language to be used in representations for redress of grievances”
- Source edition
- The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
- Source locator
- Part XVII, Article 350, printed page 207
- Last human source-link check
- Not yet checked
- Last human legal review
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1. In One Sentence
Entitles every person to submit a representation for the redress of any grievance to any public officer or authority in any of the languages used in the Union or State.
2. What It Means in Everyday Language
Article 350 guarantees a vital civic and democratic right: every person in India is entitled to submit a grievance petition in any language used in the Union or the State.
No government department, municipal office, or police station can reject a citizen’s representation or complaint solely on the ground that it is not written in the official language of the Union or State.
This democratic safeguard ensures that linguistic barriers do not deny illiterate, rural, or linguistic minority citizens access to administrative justice and public grievance redressal.
3. Practical Illustrative Example
A Bengali-speaking migrant worker in Maharashtra submits a wage grievance petition written in Bengali to the local labor commissioner.
4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions
Article 350 ensures barrier-free administrative access for all people regardless of linguistic background.
- Universal entitlement: Extends to "every person", not restricted solely to Indian citizens.
- Broad language scope: Any representation can be submitted in any language used in the Union or State.
- Civic protection: Bars administrative gatekeeping based on language proficiency.
5. Operative Constitutional Text
6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations
Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.
- •Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part XVII, Article 350, printed page 207 • Human source-link check pending
Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.