Meghalaya grants official language status to Khasi and Garo alongside English

Meghalaya has officially accorded state language status to Khasi language and Garo language alongside English after the promulgation of the Meghalaya Official Languages Ordinance, 2026.

The ordinance received the assent of C. H. Vijayashankar and was published in the Extraordinary Gazette of Meghalaya on April 27.

Under the new law, English, Khasi and Garo will be the official languages to be used for all or any official purposes of the state government. However, English will continue to be used in all civil and criminal courts, while proceedings in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly will continue as per existing provisions.

The ordinance also empowers the government to notify the use of one or more official languages at different administrative levels and in specified regions. It further provides for the use of English and Khasi in district, sub-divisional and block offices in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills region, and English and Garo in corresponding offices in the Garo Hills region.

The move is being seen as a major step toward preserving and promoting indigenous languages and strengthening demands for inclusion of Khasi and Garo in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India.

The ordinance repeals the earlier Meghalaya State Language Act, 2005, while safeguarding actions already taken under the previous law.