Madras high court did not ‘change’ its logo to Hindi

Madras high court did not ‘change’ its logo to Hindi
Fact Check: Madras high court did not ‘change’ its logo to Hindi
An image of the logo of Madras high court is going viral on social media with the claim that its motto has been changed from “Vaimaiye Vellum” (Truth alone triumphs) to “Satyameva Jayate”. India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the claims to be misleading.

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Dheeshma Puzhakkal
New Delhi
September 28, 2020UPDATED: September 28, 2020 15:27 IST

Madras High Court
Anti-Hindi sentiments re-ignited in Tamil Nadu recently after Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi alleged she was asked if she was “Indian” by a CISF official at Chennai airport because she didn’t know Hindi.
Amid this, an image of the logo of Madras high court is going viral on social media with the claim that its motto has been changed from “Vaimaiye Vellum” (Truth alone triumphs) to “Satyameva Jayate”.
One such claim by Facebook page “Stop Hindi Imposition” reads, “The Tamil logo in the judiciary has been replaced by Sanskrit/Hindi. Is Tamil too low for the judiciary? The nerve to put Sanskrit when the whole world knows that Tamil is independent of Sanskrit. Trying to establish Sanskrit and Hindi servitude/ tarnish the credibility of Tamil’s independence and make it look as if it is an offshoot of Sanskrit. This is symbolic hegemony of Sanskrit/ Hindi.”

The text in Tamil superimposed on the image further says the Tamil Nadu government has also changed its motto from Tamil (Vaimaiye Vellum) to Hindi. It translates to: Tamil script “Vaimaiye Vellum” has been removed from the Tamil Nadu government’s logo.
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the claims to be misleading. The Madras HC motto has always been in Hindi. Also, the Tamil Nadu government has not changed its motto from Tamil to Hindi.
Similar claims have been viral on social media since 2019. Archived versions can be seen here and here.
AFWA probe
A move by either the Madras HC or the government to change its motto into Hindi or Sanskrit would have made news in a state like Tamil Nadu where language has always been an emotive issue. However, we could not find any such report by credible sources.
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We visited several official websites of the Tamil Nadu government and found that it still maintains its motto in Tamil (Vaimaiye Vellum) and English (Truth Alone Triumphs).

We also checked the official website of Madras HC and found that its emblem always had the motto in Hindi.
We found saved versions of the current URL of Madras HC from April 24, 2006, to June 29, 2020 , which had the same motto in Hindi.
Screenshot of Madras HC website in 2006

Screenshot of Madras HC website in 2020

To get better clarity on this matter, we contacted lawyer and DMK spokesperson Manu Sundaram, who confirmed that the Madras HC motto was always in Hindi.
“The motto on the Tamil Nadu government logo was changed from ‘Satyameva Jayate’ to ‘Vaimaiye Vellum’ after the state’s formation, decades back. However, the motto of Madras HC has always been in Hindi. The HC is a fairly autonomous entity that does not need to use the government’s nomenclature,” Sundaram said.
“Madras Presidency was changed to Tamil Nadu and Madras city was renamed Chennai, but the high court continues to be Madras high court. Like the Supreme Court motto has always been ‘Yato Dharma Tato Jaya’, that of the HC is ‘Satyamev Jayate’,” Sundaram added.
As per Article 348(1) of the Constitution, English is the official language for all high courts in India. Tamil Nadu over the years has made several attempts to make Tamil the official language of Madras HC.
According to a report by “The Hindu”, in 2006, the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly passed a resolution to pressurise the Centre to make Tamil the official language of Madras HC. However, it was rejected by the Supreme Court. Similar resolutions from the Tamil Nadu government were also rejected in 1997 and 1999.
Hence, it is clear that the Madras HC motto has always been in Hindi. Also, the Tamil Nadu government has not changed its motto from Tamil to Hindi.
INDIA TODAY FACT CHECK

Claim
The Tamil Nadu government and Madras high court have changed their logos from Tamil to Hindi.
Conclusion
While the Tamil Nadu government’s logo has always been in Tamil and English, that of the Madras HC has always been in Hindi.
JHOOTH BOLE KAUVA KAATE
The number of crows determines the intensity of the lie.
1 Crow: Half True2 Crows: Mostly lies3 Crows: Absolutely false