Language Commission demands Nepali on embossed vehicle number plates

KATHMANDU: The Language Commission has emphasised the need to use Nepali on embossed number plates fitted to vehicles.

The Commission asserts that Article 7(1) of the Constitution of Nepal stipulates Nepali, written in Devanagari script, as the official language of Nepal for government functions.

The constitutional body, mandated to protect, promote and develop the nation’s diverse languages, also expressed its dissent over the latest provision requiring vehicle number plates to be in English only.

The Commission cited a Supreme Court ruling that embossed number plates must be in Nepali rather than in any languages or scripts unrecognised by the Constitution, pressing again for the use of Nepali on vehicle number plates.

In a decision delivered on June 23, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that Article 7(3) stipulates that other matters relating to language, beyond the official Nepali and state languages, will be decided by the Government of Nepal upon the recommendation of the Language Commission.

It directed all three tiers of government to act in line with the constitutional provision.

Language Commission Chairperson Dr Gopal Thakur said the Commission, acknowledging its constitutional responsibility, had decided to draw the government’s attention once again to the need to use Devanagari script on embossed number plates.

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