New Delhi: In a landmark step towards linguistic inclusion and constitutional accessibility, the President of India, Smt Droupadi Murmu, released the Constitution of India in the Santhali language at a formal ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on December 25, 2025. The edition has been published in the Ol Chiki script, enabling Santhali-speaking citizens to read and understand the Constitution in their own language.
The event was attended by Vice President of India Shri C. P. Radhakrishnan and Union Minister of State for Law and Justice (Independent Charge) Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, along with senior officials and representatives from the legal and cultural sectors.
The release holds special significance as it coincides with the centenary year of the Ol Chiki script, the writing system developed specifically for the Santhali language. The initiative reflects a broader effort to promote linguistic diversity while strengthening democratic participation among tribal and indigenous communities.
Santhali, recognised as one of India’s ancient living languages, was included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution through the 92nd Constitutional Amendment Act in 2003. It is spoken widely across Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar, forming a vital part of the country’s cultural and linguistic heritage.
The availability of the Constitution in Santhali is expected to deepen constitutional awareness and civic understanding among Santhali-speaking populations. It also reinforces the government’s commitment to ensuring that foundational legal texts are accessible to citizens across linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
The release marks another step in the ongoing process of making constitutional knowledge more inclusive, aligning language preservation with democratic empowerment.
