Why not ‘Sarvoch Nyayalaya’?”: HC questions DMRC over Hindi Name of Supreme Court Metro Station

The Delhi High Court has sought an explanation from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on why the Supreme Court Metro Station cannot display its Hindi name as “Sarvoch Nyayalaya” in Devanagari script. Hearing a public interest litigation, the Court flagged the issue as one involving statutory language obligations and consistency in public signage, directing the Central Government to clarify its stand.

The controversy arose from a PIL filed by Umesh Sharma, who objected to the use of the English name “Supreme Court” on Hindi signage at the metro station. Drawing a comparison, the petitioner pointed out that other stations follow proper Hindi nomenclature, such as “Central Secretariat” being displayed as “Kendriya Sachivalaya.”

He argued that under the Official Languages Act and its rules, signages in Central Government institutions must be in both English and Hindi, with Hindi written strictly in Devanagari script. The petitioner also highlighted that the Supreme Court itself refers to its Hindi name as “Bharat ka Sarvoch Nyayalaya” on its official website, questioning why the same standard was not applied to metro signage.

A Bench led by Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia questioned the rationale behind DMRC’s decision and asked the Centre’s counsel to obtain instructions on the issue. The Court took note of the submission that the Supreme Court administration had earlier proposed retaining the English name, which was subsequently accepted by a panel of metro authorities.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel sharply criticised the approach, remarking that authorities could easily seek assistance from the Raj Bhasha Department if required and alleging that Hindi was being diluted by administrative convenience. The Court did not pass any final directions at this stage and listed the matter for further hearing on February 19.

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