Can the Speaker or Chairman of the State Legislature make decisions regarding which languages are allowed for transacting business, or is this solely based on the State's official languages and Hindi/English?
The Speaker or Chairman of the State Legislature can make decisions regarding which languages are allowed for transacting business, subject to certain limitations. They have the power to permit any member who cannot adequately express himself in the official language(s) of the State, Hindi, or English to address the House in his mother-tongue. However, this permission is subject to the provisions of Article 348 and any law enacted by the State's Legislature on the matter. Additionally, after a period of fifteen years (twenty-five years for certain states), the power of the Speaker or Chairman to permit addressing the House in English may be limited if the State's Legislature chooses to pass a law that omits "or in English" from Article 210(2).