Madras High Court directed the Central Govt to follow the provisions of the Official Languages Act, 1963 strictly.
The Court said that "Once a representation is given in English, it is the duty of the Union government to give the reply in English only".
The division bench comprising Justices N Kirubakaran & M Duraiswamy came on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Madurai Lok Sabha MP S. Venkatesh.
Hearing the Public Interest Litigation, the Bench said, "Answering in Hindi is a violation of the law. The people of Tamil Nadu continue to respond in Hindi to letters sent to the Central Government asking them to address their grievances. This is contrary to constitutional legal rights & the Official Languages Act of 1963."
It added, "MPs from non-Hindi speaking states are violating the rights. Therefore, letters should not be sent in Hindi to the Government of Tamil Nadu, Members of Parliament of Tamil Nadu & the people of Tamil Nadu. The Central Government should send letters only in English. It should also order action against officials who violate the rule."
The Bench said that, "The English language is given more importance in economic terms."
"The government should realise the importance of each language & take appropriate steps for their development", Court said that, "The Indian Office Language Act also confirms this. However, the petitioner has been given a reply in Hindi in this case."