Maharashtra auto, cab drivers get 1-year deadline to learn Marathi; Fadnavis makes announcement

Mangalore Today News Network

Mumbai, Aug 28, 2026: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday announced that auto-rickshaw and cab drivers will be given one year to learn Marathi, amid protests and a political row over the state government’s language mandate.

Fadnavis said that no action would be taken against drivers for the next one year, giving them time to acquire working knowledge of Marathi.

“I met cab and auto drivers. They all agree that everyone should know Marathi, but they said people from different age groups are in this profession and it is difficult for them to learn Marathi quickly. They have prepared a plan and demanded a year for this. The state government has accepted this demand. There will be no action in the year," Fadnavis said.

The announcement comes days after Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said drivers who failed to demonstrate working knowledge of Marathi could face suspension of their authorisation badges.

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What New Marathi Rule?

Sarnaik had said that a driver’s badge would initially be suspended for one month if he or she did not have working knowledge of Marathi. If the driver failed to learn the language during that period, another three months would be granted before the badge could be cancelled, as per rules amended earlier this month.

The minister had also said that drivers who failed to learn Marathi even after four months would effectively be indicating that they did not “love the language" and did not need a Marathi identity.

Meanwhile, Sarnaik on Tuesday alleged that some political leaders were attempting to manufacture a “Marathi-Hindi" controversy in Mumbai and Thane, particularly with an eye on the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The language mandate has also triggered tensions involving migrant drivers. On Monday, four auto-rickshaw drivers allegedly assaulted a Marathi-speaking driver in Mumbai’s Kandivali area after he refused to join a protest against the Marathi proficiency requirement.

The incident took place after a large number of auto-rickshaw drivers gathered on MG Road to protest the government’s Marathi working-language drive. The protesters allegedly asked other auto drivers to stop operating their vehicles.

The government’s decision has also been challenged in the Bombay High Court. Four cab drivers have filed a PIL seeking a stay on the requirement that auto-rickshaw, taxi and app-based cab drivers possess working knowledge of Marathi.

The petitioners have argued that the August 12 government notification threatens the livelihoods of lakhs of “poor and migrant" drivers and have sought a stay on its implementation.