The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the requirements set by various states that individuals applying for judicial officer positions must be proficient in the local language.

A bench consisting of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra dismissed a petition challenging the language proficiency requirement imposed by the Public Service Commissions of Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Odisha for judicial officer positions.

The bench noted that the requirement for candidates seeking judicial officer positions to be proficient in the local language is "valid." They emphasized that, once appointed, judicial officers need to handle witnesses and evidence in the local language.

The bench deemed the requirement entirely justified and classified it as a policy matter, which led to the rejection of the Public Interest Litigation.