What is Article 346 of Indian constitution

www.hinsoli.com July 10, 2025

Title: Official language for communication between one State and another or between a State and the Union

The language used for communication:
- Between one State and another, or
- Between a State and the Union,
  shall be the language authorized for use by the Union for official purposes (i.e., English, unless otherwise provided).
However, two or more states can mutually agree to use Hindi or any other language for communication between them.

Feature	Details
Primary Language for Inter-Governmental Communication	English (default)
Alternate Language Allowed	Hindi or any other language by mutual agreement between the States
Applies To	Communication between:✔️ One State and another✔️ A State and the Union Government
Objective	To ensure clarity, uniformity, and mutual understanding in official inter-governmental communication

To avoid confusion or language barriers in official correspondence between states and between states and the central government.
It encourages the use of English as a common link language, unless mutually decided otherwise.

If Tamil Nadu and Punjab want to communicate officially:
- Default: English
- If they agree: Can use Hindi or any language they both understand.

Here is a comparison chart between Article 345 and Article 346 of the Indian Constitution:

Aspect	Article 345	Article 346
Title	Official language(s) of a State	Official language for communication between States and with the Union
Scope	Language used within a State for official purposes	Language used for communication between States, or between a State and the Union
Authority	State Legislature decides the official language of the State	Union Government’s language is the default; states can mutually agree to use a different language
Default Language	Any regional language or Hindi, as adopted by the State	English, unless otherwise agreed
Flexibility	Full autonomy to the State Legislature to choose language(s)	States can mutually decide to use Hindi or another language
Example	Maharashtra uses Marathi for state-level communication	Tamil Nadu and Kerala communicate with each other or the Union in English by default
Purpose	To preserve and promote local/regional identity	To ensure uniformity and mutual understanding in inter-state and central communication
Constitutional Chapter	Part XVII – Chapter II: Regional Languages	Part XVII – Chapter II: Regional Languages

🏞 Article 345 = State decides its internal official language.
🔄 Article 346 = Defines the language of communication between governments (States ↔ Union or State ↔ State).