Four app-based cab drivers have approached the Bombay High Court challenging Maharashtra’s August 12 notification making a “working knowledge of Marathi” compulsory for autorickshaw, taxi and app-based cab drivers, arguing that the rule threatens the livelihoods of lakhs of economically vulnerable and migrant workers.
The petition, filed through advocate Vivek Shukla, seeks to quash the notification and an immediate stay on its implementation. The petitioners Mohammed Kasim Ahmad, Mohammed Tauseef Shaikh, Siyad Ahamad and Sadik Nasir Ali Khan have argued that the rule violates their fundamental rights under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution and is beyond the powers granted to the state under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.
The plea is expected to be mentioned before the Bombay High Court’s Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge on August 26 for urgent directions. The challenge comes as Maharashtra’s Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) are already enforcing the requirement: by August 24, officials had checked 35,190 commercial passenger vehicles across the state and issued 4,729 notices to drivers found lacking the required Marathi knowledge.
The state, however, maintains that drivers only need basic, practical Marathi to communicate with passengers and has defended the measure as a workplace communication requirement rather than a demand for fluency.
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has said drivers failing the assessment are given one month to acquire the required knowledge, after which their badges may be suspended for up to three months.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also said drivers do not need to become “experts” in Marathi and indicated that additional time could be considered for those who genuinely need it.
Drivers Warn Of Livelihood Risk
The legal challenge centres on whether Maharashtra can make knowledge of a particular language a condition for continuing a profession. The petitioners contend that the Motor Vehicles Act does not empower the state government to prescribe working knowledge of Marathi as a qualification for obtaining or holding a driving licence, driver’s badge or permit.
They argue that the August 12 notification effectively creates a new disqualification and a new basis for suspension or cancellation that Parliament did not provide for in the parent legislation. The plea invokes Articles 14, 19 and 21, arguing that the rule could disproportionately affect poor and migrant drivers whose primary source of income depends on commercial driving.
The petition seeks protection for nearly 9.65 lakh drivers across Maharashtra, according to figures cited in the plea. The government’s position is markedly different. Officials have said the objective is to ensure that drivers can understand passengers and communicate with them in everyday situations, rather than test formal literacy or advanced language skills.
RTO teams have been conducting practical assessments, including questions based on common conversations drivers may have with passengers. Reports say drivers have faced a 16-question assessment, while those who do not demonstrate sufficient working knowledge are issued a one-month notice to improve.
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has said that drivers who do not meet the requirement after the notice period can face suspension of their badges for three months.
The enforcement drive has already produced thousands of notices. On August 24 alone, RTOs issued 331 notices, including 139 in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). Across the first five days of the statewide exercise, officials checked 35,190 vehicles, including 14,399 in the MMR, and issued 4,729 notices statewide.
Rule Sparks Wider Debate
The court challenge follows weeks of debate over how the Marathi requirement should apply to Maharashtra’s large commercial transport workforce. The state amended the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, on August 12, bringing app-based cabs within the requirement alongside traditional taxis and autorickshaws.
This means drivers working through platforms such as Ola, Uber and Rapido are not exempt. The government has stressed that the requirement is based on “working knowledge” rather than mastery of Marathi, with the stated aim of facilitating communication between drivers and passengers.
Enforcement began on August 20, when RTO teams started checking drivers across Maharashtra. The assessment has been described as practical, with officials asking drivers questions linked to routine interactions, such as giving directions or communicating about fares and meters.
The state has also directed officials to videograph the verification process, particularly for new driver badges, in an effort to ensure transparency. At the same time, sections of the driver community have protested, with some seeking more time to learn Marathi and raising concerns about possible action against those who fail the assessment.
The government has responded that drivers are not being immediately removed from the road merely for failing the initial test: they are given time to learn the language before further action. Fadnavis has said there is “no need to be expert in Marathi” and that the requirement should be understood as basic knowledge needed to carry out the job.
The dispute therefore goes beyond a language test. It raises questions about the balance between promoting a state’s regional language and ensuring that language requirements do not become an unreasonable barrier to employment, particularly for migrant workers who have moved to Maharashtra for economic opportunities.
The Bombay High Court’s response to the petition on August 26 could provide the first significant judicial indication of how these competing concerns should be balanced.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The debate over Marathi in Maharashtra’s public transport sector deserves a response that protects both linguistic dignity and economic dignity. There is nothing unreasonable about encouraging drivers who regularly interact with passengers to learn the local language, and being able to communicate with passengers can contribute to smoother and safer journeys.
At the same time, language learning should not become a tool for exclusion or leave workers fearing that an inability to meet a newly enforced requirement could abruptly take away their only source of income. The state’s decision to provide training and a period to improve is therefore important, but so is ensuring that assessments are transparent, practical, consistent and accessible to people from different educational and linguistic backgrounds.
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