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Bangla Bhasha Procholon Ain, 1987 ( bn, বাংলা ভাষা প্রচলন আইন, ১৯৮৭, lit=Bengali Language Implementation Act, 1987) is an Act by the
Government of Bangladesh The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Co ...
to implement and enforce the article 3 of the
Constitution of Bangladesh The Constitution of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের সংবিধান — ), officially the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশের ...
. It is the 2nd Act of 1987. According to this act, all records and correspondences, laws, proceedings in court and other legal actions must be written in the
Bengali language Bengali ( ), generally known by its endonym Bangla (, ), is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Bengal region of South Asia. It is the official, national, and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and the second most widely spoken o ...
in all courts, government or semi-government offices, and autonomous institutions in Bangladesh. The act is considered "a revolutionary step taken by the State" intended to empower the language of the common people and remove the language barrier installed by the colonial British authority, which was construed to have obstructed access to public services and justice for ordinary citizens. Consequently, all subsequent laws by
Jatiya Sangsad The Jatiya Sangsad ( bn, জাতীয় সংসদ, lit=National Parliament, translit=Jatiyô Sôngsôd), often referred to simply as the ''Sangsad'' or JS and also known as the House of the Nation, is the supreme legislative body of B ...
have been passed in Bengali since 1987. Notwithstanding the Act, English is often used by the
Supreme Court of Bangladesh The Supreme Court of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশ সুপ্রীম কোর্ট) is the highest court of law in Bangladesh. It is composed of the High Court Division and the Appellate Division, and was created by Part VI C ...
, which has elicited criticism for its perceived violation of the constitutional right of Bangladeshi citizens following the bloodshed of the martyrs of the Bengali language movement. In February every year, the Act is discussed in seminars and newspaper op-eds.


Background

Bangladesh is a language-based nation state. The Bengali language has developed over the course of more than 1,300 years and became one of the most prominent and diverse literary traditions in the world. Bengali was an official court language during the
Sultanate of Bengal The Sultanate of Bengal ( Middle Bengali: শাহী বাঙ্গালা ''Shahī Baṅgala'', Classical Persian: ''Saltanat-e-Bangālah'') was an empire based in Bengal for much of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. It was the domina ...
. Muslim rulers promoted the literary development in Bengali. Bengali literature, with its millennium-old literary history, has extensively developed since the Bengali Renaissance. The Bengali language movement from 1948 to 1956 demanding Bengali to be an official language of Pakistan fostered
Bengali nationalism Bengalism or Bengali nationalism () was a form of nationalism that focused on Bengalis as a singular nation. The people of Bengali ethnicity speak Bengali language. Bengalis mostly live across Bangladesh and the Indian states of Tripura an ...
in
East Bengal ur, , common_name = East Bengal , status = Province of the Dominion of Pakistan , p1 = Bengal Presidency , flag_p1 = Flag of British Bengal.svg , s1 = East ...
(renamed East Pakistan in 1956) leading to the emergence of Bangladesh in 1971. Bengali was adopted as an official language of Pakistan along with Urdu in the article 214(1) when the first constitution of Pakistan was enacted on 29 February 1956. In 1999,
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
recognized 21 February as
International Mother Language Day International Mother Language Day is a worldwide annual observance held on 21 February to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism. First announced by UNESCO on 17 November 1999, it was formal ...
in recognition of the Bengali language movement. After the
liberation of Bangladesh The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali ...
in 1971, the third article of the
Constitution of Bangladesh The Constitution of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের সংবিধান — ), officially the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশের ...
states Bengali to be the sole
official language An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...
of the country. With more than 98% of
Bangladeshis Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...
fluent in Bengali as their
first language A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...
, Bangladesh is the only monolingual country in South Asia and Bengali is regarded as the ''de facto'' national language of Bangladesh. On 8 March 1987, the Government of Bangladesh introduced the Bengali Language Implementation Act, 1987 to ensure mandatory use of Bengali in all domestic affairs except in the cases of foreign relations. Previously on 12 March 1975,
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( bn, শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান; 17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib and widely known as Bangabandhu (meaning ''Friend of Bengal''), was a Bengali politi ...
during his tenure as the President ordered in a government notification that all official activities in all courts and government offices must be performed in Bengali. Bengali is the 5th largest language by number of native speakers and 7th largest language by total number of speakers in the world. The Bengali language is the quintessential element of Bangladeshi identity and binds together a culturally diverse region.


Provisions


Section 3

3(1) After the introduction of this Act, all records and correspondences, laws, proceedings in court and other legal actions must be written in Bengali in all courts, government or semi-government offices, and autonomous institutions in Bangladesh. 3(2) If any one submits an appeal or petition at any offices mentioned in clause 3(1) in any language other than Bengali, the appeal or petition will be considered illegal and ineffective. 3(3) If any government staff or officer breaches this act, he or she will be accused of violating Bangladesh Civil Servant Order and Appeal Rules, and necessary actions will be taken against him or her.


Section 4

4 By notification in the official gazette, the government can create and impose necessary rules to enforce this Act.


Implementation


Legislation and administration

Following the act, all legislative and administrative activities are being done in Bengali since 1987.


In the judiciary

In all district courts, Bengali is the medium of communication both for speaking and writing petitions and verdicts; but in the Supreme Court, verdicts are often delivered in English. On 9 February 2011,
Bangladesh Law Commission The Law Commission of Bangladesh is an independent body, set up through an act passed in the national parliament that reviews laws and recommends reforms when necessary in Bangladesh and is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), ...
recommended that the Act be implemented in the Supreme Court as well to ensure easy access to justice for all. Bangladesh Law Commission also stated that application of Bengali in all sphere of public life would be the proper way to observe
Language Movement Day (''Bhasha Andolôn Dibôs'') , nickname = bn, শহীদ দিবস (''Shôhid Dibôs'') , duration = 1 day , frequency = Annual , observedby = Bangladesh and Bengali speakers in India and elsewhere , date = 21 Feb ...
. The then chairman of Law Commission, Shah Alam wrote that due to the vested interest of certain quarter, Bengali was not being applied properly in the Supreme Court. Some suggested that "under section 137 of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 and section 558 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898 Bangladesh government may issue Order making use of Bengali mandatory in superior and subordinate judiciary."


In the financial sector

While Bengali is predominantly used in the official activities of
Bangladesh Bank Bangladesh Bank ( bn, বাংলাদেশ ব্যাংক) is the central bank of Bangladesh and is a member of the Asian Clearing Union. It is fully owned by the Government of Bangladesh. The bank is active in developing green bankin ...
, Bengali has a marginal presence in the commercial private banks to the dismay of their respective clients as most of them find it difficult to navigate through their financial documents in English. In 2018, Bangladesh Bank instructed all banks to use Bengali "in loan approval letters for implementing the goal of the Bengali Language Introduction Act, 1987 and protecting the client’s interest."


In other areas of public life

In February 2014, following a writ petition by an advocate named Yunus Ali Akand at the High Court, Justice Qazi Rezaul Haque issued a rule that Bengali should be used everywhere in Bangladesh, in all offices, courts and media, following the act of 1987. He further instructed that Bengali should be used on signboards, billboards, number plate of motor vehicles and all electronic media excluding foreign high embassies. Three months later, the Ministry of Public Administration ordered all city corporations, and cantonment boards to implement the high court rule. Then again on 23 February 2016, the Ministry of Public Administration gave the same instruction, but the proper implementation is yet to be seen.


Reception

The act has been considered significant to empower people's language and remove colonial linguistic oppression.
Muhammad Habibur Rahman Muhammad Habibur Rahman (3 December 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a Chief Justice of Bangladesh Supreme Court in 1995. He was the Chief Adviser of the 1996 caretaker government which oversaw the Seventh parliamentary elections in Bangladesh. H ...
, a former
Chief Justice of Bangladesh The chief justice of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের প্রধান বিচারপতি — ) is the chief amongst the judges of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, and also head of the whole judicial establishments, inclu ...
stated that due to the lack of proper government initiative, English is still used frequently in the Supreme Court. Rahman further stated that if justice is a virtue and a service to the people, then verdicts should be given in Bengali. He also stated that if the people of the country want that all works in the Supreme Court must be operated in Bengali, then the representatives of the people in the
Jatiya Sangsad The Jatiya Sangsad ( bn, জাতীয় সংসদ, lit=National Parliament, translit=Jatiyô Sôngsôd), often referred to simply as the ''Sangsad'' or JS and also known as the House of the Nation, is the supreme legislative body of B ...
(Parliament of Bangladesh) must enact and implement another law to ensure the use of Bengali in the Supreme Court.
Sheikh Hasina Sheikh Hasina Wazed (''née'' Sheikh Hasina ; ; bn, শেখ হাসিনা ওয়াজেদ, Shēkh Hasinā, , born 28 September 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician who has served as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh since January 2 ...
, the incumbent and longest serving
Prime Minister of Bangladesh The Prime Minister of Bangladesh ( bn, বাংলাদেশের প্রধানমন্ত্রী, translit=Bangladesher Prodhanmontri), officially Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজা ...
, also suggested that the judges should deliver their verdicts in Bengali so that every Bangladeshi can read them.{{Cite news, url=https://bangla.bdnews24.com/bangladesh/article1595479.bdnews, script-title=bn:রায় লিখুন বাংলায়, যাতে মানুষ বোঝে: প্রধানমন্ত্রী, date=2019-02-21, work= bdnews24.com, trans-title='Write verdicts in Bengali so that people understand' - Prime Minister, language=bn, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222124720/https://bangla.bdnews24.com/bangladesh/article1595479.bdnews, archive-date=2019-02-22, access-date=2019-07-20


References

Bengali language Law of Bangladesh