Polity

Article 350B

Also: Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities, Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities

Definition

The constitutional provision, added in 1956, that creates a Special Officer for Linguistic Minorities, appointed by the President, to investigate matters relating to safeguards for linguistic minorities and report to the President.

Summary card: Article 350B. Inserted by the 7th Amendment, 1956. Officer appointed by the President; known as the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities. Reports placed before Parliament and sent to state governments. Office set up in 1957; headquarters at New Delhi (earlier at Allahabad) — Summary card © UPSCPrep.in

Background and evolution

The reorganisation of states on linguistic lines in 1956 created states with a dominant language, but every state still had significant linguistic minorities, such as Telugu speakers in Tamil Nadu, Kannada speakers in Maharashtra, or Urdu speakers across northern states. The States Reorganisation Commission (Fazl Ali Commission) recommended safeguards for these minorities, including education in the mother tongue at the primary stage and an agency to monitor safeguards.

The 7th Amendment of 1956 therefore added Article 350A, which directs states to provide primary education in the mother tongue for children of linguistic minority groups, and Article 350B, which creates a Special Officer to investigate whether constitutional safeguards are being followed. The officer, designated Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, began work in 1957.

Key features and provisions

Appointment (350B(1)): the President appoints a Special Officer for linguistic minorities.
Duty (350B(2)): to investigate all matters relating to the safeguards provided for linguistic minorities under the Constitution and report to the President at intervals the President directs.
Reports: the President causes reports to be laid before each House of Parliament and sent to the governments of the states concerned.
No statutory powers: the Commissioner can investigate and recommend but cannot enforce.
Administrative location: the office falls under the Ministry of Minority Affairs.
Regional offices: earlier in Belagavi, Chennai and Kolkata, to deal with complaints.

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Last reviewed: 23 October 2026 · Original UPSCPrep.in content.