Section 2 in The West Bengal Official Language Act, 1961
2. Language or languages to be used for official purposes of the State.
- With effect from such date, [* * *] [Omitted 'not later than four years from the date of commencement of this Act' by Act No. 8 of 2012, dated 17.5.2012.], as the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint in this behalf,-(a)in the three hill subdivisions of the district of Darjeeling, namely, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong, [the Bengali language and the Nepali language and the Urdu language] [Substituted by Act No. 8 of 2012, dated 17.5.2012.], and(aa)[ in the Districts or Sub-division or Block or Municipality, as the case may be, where the population of [Urdu speaking people or Kamtapuri speaking people or Rajbanshi speaking people or kurmali speaking people] [Inserted by Act No. 8 of 2012, dated 17.5.2012.] exceeds ten per cent, the Bengali language and [the Urdu Language, the Kamtapuri Language, the Rajbanshi Language, the kurmali Language] [Substituted 'the Urdu language' by West Bengal Act No. 5 of 2018, dated 5.4.2018.], and;](b)elsewhere, the Bengali language,shall be the language or languages to be used for the official purposes of the State of West Bengal referred to in article 345 of the Constitution of India, and different dates may be appointed for different official purposes or for different areas in West Bengal :Provided that the issue of any such notification shall be without prejudice to-(i)the use of any language other than the Bengali language which is authorized by or under any law for the time being in force to be used for any purpose in any of the civil or criminal courts within the State of West Bengal, and(ii)the use of the English language in the examinations conducted by the Public Service Commission, West Bengal.
