The Supreme Court of India has dismissed a petition filed by former councillor Varshatai Sanjay Bagade challenging the use of Urdu on the signboard of the Patur Municipal Council building in Akola district, Maharashtra. The petition argued that all official business and signage should be conducted exclusively in Marathi, the state's official language. A two-judge bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K. Vinod Chandran upheld the Bombay High Court's order, stating that the Maharashtra Local Authorities (Official Languages) Act, 2022, does not prohibit the use of Urdu in addition to Marathi on municipal signage. The court emphasized that the primary purpose of language is effective communication and that language should not be a source of division. In its judgment, the Supreme Court highlighted that language is a medium of culture, belonging to a community or region, and not to any religion. The bench described Urdu as an Indo-Aryan language born in India and called it the 'finest specimen of Ganga-Jamuni tahzeeb,' representing the composite cultural ethos of northern and central India. The court further noted that Urdu words are deeply embedded in the parlance of Indian courts and daily conversations, and that both Hindi and Urdu share significant linguistic similarities. The judgment criticized the misconception that Urdu is alien to India or exclusively associated with any religion, calling such views a 'pitiable digression from reality.' The Supreme Court concluded that displaying Urdu alongside Marathi on municipal signboards is appropriate, especially where local populations are familiar with Urdu. The court urged respect for India's linguistic diversity, noting that Urdu is the sixth most spoken scheduled language in the country and is spoken in all states and union territories except some in the northeast.