Appointment for Lower Courts in Assam
FROM OUR Correspondent
Silchar, June 11: Amra Bengali Assam State Committee, Assam has addressed a letter to the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court regarding the violation of Assam Official Language and deprivation of the candidates of the three districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi in connection with the appointment or written test in the Lower Courts of Assam on last Tuesday. The notification, No. HC. XXXVII – 27/2015/22 56/R_Cell, dated Guwahati May 4, 2017, issued by M K Kalita, Registrar (Admn)-cum-In-charge, Centralized recruitment Gauhati High Court does not carry the rules and norms of the Assam Official Language Act 1961 relating to the recruitment for the posts of LDA/Copyist/Typist for the Subordite Courts of Assam including Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong districts.
It has also been mentioned in the letter that in case of the common written test in the ‘other segment’ (Question Nos. 81 to 100) consisting of 20 objective type questions on the official language of the state of Assam is Assamese. Though the marks obtained in official language segment will not be considered while preparing the merit list, yet the marks, minimum 40% which is 8, has been treated as compulsory for qualifying. Amra Bengali Assam State Committee has pointed out that according to the Assam Official Language Act, 1906, the official language of the three districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi is Bengali.
This Act was brought into effect on and from July 31, 1964 vide notification No. PLB 19/63/145 dated July 24, 1974 and was published in the Assam Gazette of the same date. In Clause 5 of the provision, it has been clearly mentioned that ‘safeguard of the use of Bengali language in the district of Cachar, without prejudice to the provisions contained in Section 3, the Bengali Language shall be used for administrative and other official purposes up to and including the district level in the district of Cachar,’ (the then divided Cachar). Regarding the recruitment policy, Rights of the various linguistic groups – Clause 7 (e), it has been stated that ‘the rights to the appointments in the Assam Public Services and to contracts and other avocations shall be maintained without discrimition on the ground of language.’
They have mentioned in the letter that under this circumstance, the applicants will be directly affected and deprived of appearing in the written examition only because of the fact that they are educated through Bengali medium and uble to write in Assamese. The members of Amra Bengali Assam State Committee have urged upon the Chief Justice to intervene immediately into this notification for the sake of the future of these applicants who are to appear in the examition in the future course of time.