The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by parents and teachers from the National Capital Region (NCR) and Chennai, challenging the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) recent policy that mandates three languages for Class 9 students, with at least two being Indian languages. The petitioners argue that this sudden change will lead to chaos and confusion among students and educators.
Urgent Hearing Sought
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing the petitioners, urged a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi, and Vipul M Pancholi to grant an urgent hearing. He stated that Class 9 students are now being forced to study two additional languages without adequate preparation. "How do the students cope with this and appear in the language paper examinations? This will create chaos and confusion among students and teachers," Rohatgi argued.
Court's Assurance
The bench, led by the Chief Justice, assured the petitioners that the matter would be heard next week. The PIL, jointly filed by 17 parents and two teachers of children studying in CBSE-affiliated schools in Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, and Chennai, was submitted through advocate Shradha Deshmukh.
Contradiction with Earlier Notification
The petition contends that the new policy contradicts CBSE's April 9 notification, which categorically assured that the third language requirement was "not applicable till the academic session 2029-30 at the Class 9 level." However, on May 15, after the academic session for 2026-27 had commenced, language allocations were made, and timetables were finalized, the board switched to a three-language policy requiring two Indian languages.
Irreversible Harm
The petitioners argue that this abrupt change would cause irreversible harm to thousands of Class 9 students and jeopardize the livelihoods of many teachers proficient in foreign languages, as they would have to be replaced by teachers capable of teaching regional languages. The petition also highlights the lack of textbooks and teaching materials, noting that CBSE has made ad hoc arrangements by asking students to learn the basics of the second Indian language from Class 6 textbooks.
Constitutional Violation
"Mandating a compulsory subject without textbooks, trained teachers, or an assessment framework does not amount to quality education; it is a constitutional violation," the petitioners stated. They have requested the Supreme Court to bar CBSE from compromising on quality education and to stay the implementation of the new policy.
