The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the Union Civil Aviation Ministry to examine the issue of use of the vernacular language of the states in the flights flying to or flying from a particular state in India.

The apex Human Rights Panel, acting on a petition filed by Human Rights lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy, sought for the report within a period of 15 days, an order issued on Tuesday stated.

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The petition sought NHRC’s intervention on the difficulties faced by the people who don’t know English and Hindi as presumed by the Government based on the records of Sarva Sikshy Abhiyan.

There are senior citizens who can neither speak nor understand English or Hindi. Moreover, there are language-related laws in states like Odisha for the maximum use of the vernacular language in official documents, the petition pointed out.

The petition further stated the inclusion of local vernacular languages in flight announcements, safety instructions, and general communication within the aviation industry in India. The complainant also spelled out the difficulties faced by passengers who are not fluent in English or Hindi, particularly in rural or regional areas. This exclusion violates their right to access information in their native language, as guaranteed by India’s Constitution.

“In view of the complaint petition, the Commission is of the considered view that the allegations leveled in the complaint are serious violations of the Human Rights of the air passengers”, NHRC stated, seeking a report from the Civil Aviation Ministry.