Maharashtra Ends 50-Year-Old Hindi Exam Requirement For Govt Employees
The announcement triggered opposition across Maharashtra. Political parties as well as several organisations working for the Marathi language questioned the government's decision.
The language issue has once again heated up in Maharashtra politics. The state government has issued an order scrapping the Hindi language examination conducted for government officers and employees. The decision brings an end to a rule that had been in place for nearly 50 years, under which certain government employees were required to clear a Hindi examination.
Following the decision, officers and employees will no longer have to pass the Hindi exam to qualify for salary increments or promotions. The move has raised questions over why the government took the decision and what led to the withdrawal of the requirement.
Hindi Exam Was Announced In June
The issue came to the fore in June 2026, when the Directorate of Languages announced that a Hindi language examination would be conducted for government officers and employees. The exam was scheduled for June 28.
The announcement triggered opposition across Maharashtra. Political parties as well as several organisations working for the Marathi language questioned the government's decision.
Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) was among the strongest voices opposing the Hindi examination. MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande alleged that the move was an attempt to impose Hindi at the Centre's behest.
The party had warned that its workers would protest outside examination centres if the test was held on June 28. The MNS had also said that the government would be responsible if the protests led to any law-and-order situation.
Uddhav Thackeray Faction Also Targets Government
Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena UBT also criticised the government over the issue.
The party questioned why government employees in Maharashtra were being required to pass a Hindi examination when Marathi had recently been granted classical language status. It also asked whether Hindi examinations were mandatory for government employees in states such as Gujarat or West Bengal.
Linguists and activists associated with the Marathi Abhyas Kendra also opposed the government's decision.
Dr Deepak Pawar and other language researchers argued that the government should instead focus on teaching Marathi to non-Marathi-speaking officers and employees. They said there was no justification for spending money and time on a Hindi examination.
The government's latest order also cancels the old government resolutions and orders issued in 1976 and 1981, under which the Hindi examination system had been operating.
The decision is considered effective from May 7, 2026. This means the system has been deemed abolished from the same date on which the government had first halted the examination following the protests.
Earlier, officers and employees who had not studied Hindi up to Class 10 were required to clear the Hindi examination during their service. Failure to pass the test could affect their salary increments or promotions.
That requirement has now been removed. Government employees will no longer need to clear a Hindi examination for salary increments or promotions.
Nearly 50-Year-Old Rule Scrapped
Overall, the Hindi examination system that had been in place since 1976 has been completely abolished after nearly five decades.
The government has argued that Marathi is the language used for administrative work within Maharashtra, while official correspondence with other states is conducted in English.
Against this backdrop, it said there was no longer any justification for imposing a separate Hindi examination on government employees.
The decision has once again brought the issues of language and Marathi identity to the centre of political discourse in Maharashtra.
Top Headlines
