India, April 16 -- The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the use of Urdu on the signboard of a municipal council building in Maharashtra, saying language is culture and must not become a cause for dividing people. It added that Urdu "is the finest specimen of "Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb", or the Hindustani tehzeeb", The Indian Express reported.

A bench of justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and K Vinod Chandran rejected a plea by Varshatai Sanjay Bagade, a former councillor of Patur town, challenging the use of Urdu on the signboard of the municipal council of Patur.

According to the bench, Urdu and Marathi have the same status under the Constitution, rejecting the claims that only Marathi should be used, Bar and Bench reported.

The court also said Urdu...