Bombay High Court and Marathi documents: what needs translating
Updated 6 October 2026 · Reviewed by a human
English is the constitutional default for Bombay High Court proceedings. Its translation requirements differ between the Original and Appellate Sides and between types of proceeding. The Appellate Side Rules include specified concessions for Marathi documents, subject to an undertaking to supply English translations when ordered. (Constitution of India, Article 348; Bombay High Court Original Side Rules, Chapter IV; Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Chapter IV)
What is the official language of the Bombay High Court?
Article 348(1)(a) makes English the default. The Court’s own rules say how pleadings and non-English documents are handled. (Constitution of India, Article 348)
The following rules govern the filings addressed here:
Original Side. Rule 42 requires the plaint and its annexed documents to be in English. If an exhibit is not in English, it prescribes an official translation of the exhibit in its place. Rule 54 applies rules 42 and 44 to other pleadings and proceedings with necessary modifications, so far as applicable. (Bombay High Court Original Side Rules, Chapter IV)
Appellate Side, advocates. Under Chapter IV rule 5, memoranda of appeal, cross-objections, applications and petitions presented by advocates must be in English. (Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Chapter IV)
Appellate Side, party in person. A party who files personally may use Marathi, Hindi or English. The party can then be ordered to file official English translations at their own cost. (Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Chapter IV)
What language do the courts below the High Court use?
The State Government’s powers to determine subordinate-court language arise under CPC section 137 and BNSS section 307. CrPC section 272 remains relevant to proceedings preserved by BNSS section 531. Apply the relevant court notification and local directions. (Dipak Jaiswal v SEBI, M.P. 5880/2024, Madhya Pradesh High Court, 7 November 2024 (CPC section 137); Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023; Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, section 272)
Under section 137(3) of the CPC, writing required or permitted by the Code, other than recording evidence, may be in English. A party or pleader who does not know English can ask for a translation, and the court makes an order on costs. State amendments and local rules must also be applied. (Dipak Jaiswal v SEBI, M.P. 5880/2024, Madhya Pradesh High Court, 7 November 2024 (CPC section 137))
Do Marathi documents need translating on the Original Side?
Yes, as a rule.
Exhibits to a plaint. If an exhibit is not in English, you annex an official translation of it, not the original or a copy. (Bombay High Court Original Side Rules, Chapter IV)
Documents you rely on at the hearing. Send them to the Chief Translator’s office for translation into English as early as possible. If the translation is not ready when the case is called, the Judge may refuse the document in evidence, or adjourn and pass orders on costs. (Bombay High Court Original Side Rules, Chapter XXXII)
Admissibility (Rule 630). Non-English documents are not accepted in evidence unless officially translated. That means translated by the Chief Translator’s office, or at its instance by a special translator or a retired High Court translator with the Chief Justice’s sanction. (Bombay High Court Original Side Rules, Chapter XXXII)
Exceptions to Rule 630. An unofficial translation may be accepted, subject to official translation, if you give a good reason for not lodging the document in time. The Court may also accept unofficial translations, and dispense with official ones, if all parties agree to them. (Bombay High Court Original Side Rules, Chapter XXXII)
A small exception. Registered-post acknowledgments bearing a signature in Gujarati or Devanagari script, when annexed to an affidavit of service, fall within the specific rule 630(2) exception from translation. (Bombay High Court Original Side Rules, Chapter XXXII)
What do the Appellate Side Rules say about Marathi records in appeals and writs?
The relevant Appellate Side chapters require English translations and contain Marathi provisos. Where the proviso applies, an initial English translation is unnecessary if the party or advocate undertakes to provide it when the Court orders. This concession covers the specified documents and proceedings. It is not a general dispensation for every High Court filing. (Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Chapter IV; Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Chapter IX; Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Chapter XVII; Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Chapter XXVI)
| Proceeding | What the Rules require | Marathi proviso? |
|---|---|---|
| Civil appeals and revisions (Chapter IV) | Typed English translations of non-English judgments and other accompaniments | Yes, rules 12(iii) and 19(iii-A) |
| Writ petitions under Articles 226 and 227 (Chapter XVII) | Typed English translations of non-English judgments, orders, affidavits and documents | Yes, rule 2(i) |
| First and second appeal paper books (Chapter IX) | Parties supply translations of pleadings and of documents they rely on | Yes, rules 1(v), 2(v) and 5 |
| Criminal jail appeals and paper books prepared in the High Court (Chapter XXVI) | Memos not in English are translated in the Translators’ Office. Paper-book translations are done at State cost | Yes, rules 25(iii) and 30 |
The undertaking leaves the Court free to require translations. Follow any order and the applicable filing requirements. This route is distinct from the Supreme Court exemption application described in exemption from filing official translation.
For first appeals, Chapter IX sets the workflow: (Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Chapter IX)
What to translate. The appellant translates the documents they rely on. They also translate the documents the lower court relied on against them, on the findings they challenge.
Deadline for choosing. Within two months of the notice that the record has arrived (shorter in expedited matters), each side files a note for official translation, or a list of documents it will get privately translated.
Portions only. You can ask for parts of a document. Mark or initial the portions you need.
Maps and plans. If you want the entries on a map or plan officially translated, supply four tracings of it to scale, with those entries left out.
Who prepares the translation?
The Original Side Rules describe the Chief Translator and Interpreter’s office and the translators’ oath. Under rule 629, languages other than Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi and Urdu are assigned to Special Translators appointed by the Chief Justice. Applications are made through the Chief Translator and Interpreter. Rule 634 governs acceptance of translation work unrelated to High Court matters. Court-office translators cannot undertake such work outside that route. (Bombay High Court Original Side Rules, Chapter XXXII)
Chapter IX rule 8 provides for official translations through the Translators’ Office or, where necessary, retired translators or advocates authorised by the Chief Justice. Arrange the applicable estimate and deposit through the Registry before commissioning official work. (Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Chapter IX)
Private translations are allowed in some places:
Writ petitions. Any translation that is not official must be certified as true by the advocate, or backed by the applicant’s affidavit saying it is true. (Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Chapter XVII)
First appeals. Private translations must be signed by the advocate who made them, as a mark of their accuracy. (Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Chapter IX)
Original Side evidence. Private translations are mainly limited to the agreed or “good reason” routes in Rule 630. (Bombay High Court Original Side Rules, Chapter XXXII)
For how these labels differ, see certified, official or machine translation. For the national picture, see translation requirements in Indian courts.
How should you handle 7/12 extracts, FIRs and police papers?
Fix the forum first. A 7/12 annexed to an Original Side plaint needs an official translation. The same extract in an Appellate Side writ petition may go in untranslated on the Marathi undertaking. (Bombay High Court Original Side Rules, Chapter IV; Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Chapter XVII)
Translate what is required. Translate the documents and portions required by the applicable rule or order. Chapter IX permits specified portions to be marked for translation in appeal paper books. For revenue records, include the entries needed to understand the issue and its context. Our guide on 7/12 extract in English explains the 7/12 columns. (Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Chapter IX)
FIR quashing petitions follow Chapter XVII. That chapter expressly includes applications to quash an FIR, complaint or charge sheet. Its accompaniment and translation provisions apply to proceedings it governs. (Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Chapter XVII)
Police papers are not governed by the language of the Court. In CBI v Narottam Dhakad, 2023 INSC 770, the Supreme Court said the power under CrPC section 272 is not a power to decide which language the police use to record the investigation. A charge sheet is not vitiated only because it is not in the court’s language. Where both the accused and the advocate are not conversant with the language of the charge sheet, the question of providing a translation may arise. (CBI v Narottam Dhakad, 2023 INSC 770, paragraphs 12 to 19)
Check evidence in appeal paper books. First appeal paper books use the trial judge’s English notes of the evidence. Evidence recorded on commission in another language needs an English translation. (Bombay High Court Appellate Side Rules, Chapter IX)
Keep names and numbers consistent. Survey numbers, areas and the spelling of names should match across every translated exhibit. Keep the Marathi original on file next to each translation.
Be careful with free tools. See Google Translate for legal documents on the use and limits of free translation tools.
Where NyayTranslate fits
NyayTranslate translates PDFs, Word documents and images from Marathi into English. Handwriting and poor-quality scans are processed subject to legibility. Its website describes preservation of layout and markings. It is a machine translation. It is not an official translation from the Chief Translator’s office, and it is not certified. Review every page. (NyayTranslate website and FAQs)
Use it to read a Marathi record quickly and decide which exhibits matter. It also gives the advocate a working draft to check line by line, where the Rules allow an advocate-certified translation. The first two pages are translated free as a preview.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change; check the current rules and practice directions of your court.