Meghalaya has accorded official language status to Khasi and Garo alongside English following the promulgation of the Meghalaya Official Languages Ordinance, 2026. The ordinance received the assent of Governor C H Vijayashankar and was published in the Extraordinary Gazette of Meghalaya on April 27.
Under the new provisions, English, Khasi, and Garo will be used for official purposes of the state government. However, English will continue to remain the language of proceedings in civil and criminal courts, while the functioning of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly will continue as per existing norms.
The ordinance empowers the state government to notify the use of one or more official languages at different administrative levels and in specific regions. Accordingly, English and Khasi will be used in district, sub-divisional, and block-level offices in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills, while English and Garo will be used in similar offices in the Garo Hills.
The move is being viewed as a significant step towards preserving and promoting indigenous languages in the state. It is also expected to strengthen long-standing demands for the inclusion of Khasi and Garo in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
With the new ordinance coming into force, the Meghalaya State Language Act, 2005, has been repealed, although actions taken under the earlier legislation will remain valid.
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