Authoritative Text of the Constitution in Hindi Language

The Constitution of India was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949 in the English language. A Hindi translation signed by members of the Constituent Assembly was published in 1950 under the authority of the President of the Constituent Assembly.

However, no single authoritative Hindi text incorporating all subsequent amendments existed. There was a growing need for such a text — both for legal use and to ensure conformity with the language and style of Central Acts in Hindi.

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This amendment inserted a new Article 394-A in Part XXII of the Constitution (Short Title, Commencement, Authoritative Text in Hindi and Repeals).

Part XXII originally had only three articles: Article 393 (Short Title), Article 394 (Commencement), and Article 395 (Repeals). Article 394-A was added as a new provision.

Provisions of Article 394-A

1. The President shall cause to be published:

   • A Hindi translation of the Constitution, incorporating all amendments made before the date of publication, and updated to conform to the language, style, and terminology of authoritative Central Acts in Hindi.
   • A Hindi translation of every future amendment to the Constitution made in English.

2. The Hindi translation, once published, shall have the same meaning as the original English text. If any difficulty arises in interpretation, the President shall cause the Hindi text to be suitably revised.

3. The published translation shall be deemed the authoritative text of the Constitution in Hindi for all purposes.

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1. The Constitution was originally in English; the 1950 Hindi version had not been updated to include subsequent amendments.
2. There was a demand for a comprehensive, legally authoritative Hindi text.
3. Such a text was necessary to facilitate use in legal proceedings in Hindi-medium states.
4. Any new Hindi version had to conform to the language and style of the authoritative texts of Central Acts in Hindi — not just be a literal translation.

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In pursuance of Article 394-A, the President published an authoritative text of the Constitution of India in Hindi in the Gazette of India.

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• The 58th Amendment (1987) inserted Article 394-A — these are the two key facts.
• It was inserted in Part XXII — the final part of the Constitution.
• The Hindi text must be consistent with language of Central Acts in Hindi; it is not a standalone fresh translation.
• If the Hindi text conflicts with the English text, the President shall revise the Hindi text — English remains the baseline.
• The legislative bill that became the 58th Amendment was originally the 56th Constitutional Amendment Bill of 1987.