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Rajaram Krishnamurthy
New Delhi, Jun 18 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to pass any interim order on a plea challenging the implementation of a CBSE policy mandating the study of three languages, including two native Indian languages, for Class 9 students from the 2026-27 academic session.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana tagged the plea filed by NGO Friends of People for Active Democracy with similar petitions pending on the issue.
“We cannot pass a single-line order today. This matter was argued at length. There is no question of interim protection,” the bench said as it ordered the tagging of the matter.
During the brief hearing, the counsel appearing for the NGO submitted that they are not challenging the three-language policy per se but just the implementation part of it.
CJI Kant then questioned the NGO’s name, Friends Of People For Active Democracy, and asked in a lighter vein if that kind of nomenclature was meant to create fear in the mind of the court or the people.
The counsel replied, “No, my lord. That’s the name of the trust. It’s an old trust set up in 2013”, and submitted that the CBSE was required to issue detailed guidelines by June 15.
The bench, however, listed the matter for hearing on July 14 along with other pending petitions.
On May 27, the top court agreed to examine the plea challenging a CBSE policy mandating the study of three languages and issued notices to the Centre, the CBSE and the NCERT and sought comprehensive replies within two weeks.
It had asked ASG Aishwarya Bhati to submit a report on the logistical preparedness of the CBSE to implement the decision and posted the matter for hearing in the second week of July.
According to a recent circular issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the study of three languages, including at least two native Indian languages, has been made compulsory for Class 9 students beginning July 1.
The move is part of the CBSE’s alignment of its scheme of studies with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
“In order to adequately address the competencies envisaged at the Secondary Stage, these textbooks will be supplemented with one appropriate local or state literary material, selected by schools, such as short stories, poems, or nonfiction works,” the board said.
It added that detailed guidelines regarding the selection and pedagogical use of supplementary literary material would be issued by June 15.
According to the circular issued on May 15, students opting for a foreign language may do so only as the third language after studying two native Indian languages, or as an additional fourth language.
“With effect from July 1, 2026, for Class IX, the study of three languages (R1, R2, R3) shall be compulsory, with at least two languages being native Indian languages,” the circular said.
The board said till the dedicated R3 textbooks are available, Class 9 students shall use the Class 6 R3 textbooks (2026-27 edition) of the chosen language.
The CBSE said to keep the focus on learning and reduce any undue pressure on students, no board examination shall be conducted for R3 at the Class 10 level.
“All assessments for R3 shall be entirely school-based and internal. The performance of students in R3 will be duly reflected in the CBSE certificate. It is clarified that no student will be barred from appearing in the Class X Board Examinations due to R3. Sample question papers, rubrics for internal assessment will be shared by the board shortly,” it added.
The board also asked schools to update their R3 language offerings for Classes 6 to 9 on the OASIS portal by June 30.
According to the board, Class 6 R3 textbooks in 19 scheduled languages will be made available to schools before July 1, while for the remaining native Indian languages, schools may use the available State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and state-level resources.
The board further said schools facing a shortage of adequately qualified native Indian language teachers may, as an interim arrangement, engage existing teachers of other subjects who possess functional proficiency in the language concerned.
“Collaborative and flexible mechanisms such as inter-school resource sharing through Sahodaya clusters, virtual or hybrid teaching support, engagement of retired language teachers, and utilisation of suitably qualified postgraduates may be adopted,” it added.
The CBSE further said relaxations would be provided to children with special needs in accordance with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, while foreign students returning to India may get case-by-case exemptions from the requirement of studying two native Indian languages.
In April, the CBSE had announced a phased implementation of the three-language formula from Class 6 and the introduction of a two-level system for mathematics and science for Class 9 from the 2026-27 academic session.
Under the proposed structure, mathematics and science will have two levels — mandatory standard and optional advanced courses. While all students will appear for a common 80-mark examination, those opting for higher proficiency can take an additional advance-level paper aimed at testing deeper conceptual understanding and higher-order thinking skills. PTI MNL ABA SAP MNL SAP SAP
The Supreme Court on Tuesday (July 14) declined to stay the three-language policy of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) introduced from the current 2026-27 academic year, and deferred the hearing of the petitions challenging the Board's decision to next week.The petitioners submitted before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice...
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to stay the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) threelanguage policy for the 2026-27 academic session, observing that 'learning a language never goes waste', while agreeing to hear petitions challenging the policy in detail next week. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana issued notice on fresh petitions and scheduled the matter for hearing on Wednesday next week. The court, however, refused to grant any interim stay on the CBSE circulars at this stage. The petitions challenge the CBSE's decision to implement the revised three-language policy from the current academic year. The petitioners argued that students studying in Class 9 would now have to study two Indian languages, forcing many to drop languages they had been learning since Class 5. They also raised concerns over English being treated as a non-native language under the policy, besides pointing to the lack of teachers and textbooks for several Indian languages. Appearing for one of the petitioners, senior advocate Anand Grover argued that the CBSE lacked the legal authority to issue such circulars. "The circulars are without authority of law. Only NCERT has authority, not CBSE. They are imposing languages without giving options No teachers, no books are available if I want to learn Punjabi instead of Sanskrit. As a child, I must have the opportunity to learn a language which will give me employment," he submitted. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing in another batch of petitions, argued that the policy treated English as a 'non-native' language while making Indian languages compulsory, Live Law reported. "They have taken a 300-year-old language and treated English as a non-native language," he said. Senior advocate Shyam Divan argued that although CBSE had diluted some provisions "A student of Class 9 who is studying French till date is told to take up a third language and give the examination in April. Unless you get a pass in internal assessment. How can anyone in Class 9 be told to start learning, say, Tamil? Which school in Delhi can provide a teacher who can teach?" he argued. Seeking interim relief, Sankaranarayanan said schools were not prepared to implement the policy. "We went to the NCERT website a few minutes ago. Only three books, not 22. Children are being told to drop English and other foreign languages and take up native languages. They had said that by July 1 textbooks would be ready. Teachers have to be ready for 22 languages. This is damaging the status quo," he submitted. He also expressed concern that teachers of foreign languages could lose their jobs if schools were forced to alter language offerings. Responding to the submissions, Chief Justice Surya Kant remarked, "Learning of language never goes waste." When Sankaranarayanan argued that teachers could be dismissed because of the policy, the CJI replied, "If dismissed, we can reinstate." Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Union government, sought two weeks to file a response. The bench directed the Centre to submit its reply within 10 days. The court also heard submissions from intervenor Fauzia Khan, represented by advocates Rahul Shyam Bhandari and G Priyadharshini, who argued that the policy had adversely affected the mental health of children, particularly those from economically weaker sections.
The hearing comes amid an ongoing legal challenge to CBSE's revised three-language policy, introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The Board has defended the policy, telling the Supreme Court that nearly half of its over 28,800 affiliated schools already teach two or more Indian languages in Class 9, while almost all have at least one Indian-language teacher. It has also said schools have been given flexibility in staffing during the transition period. What do you think is the primary concern regarding the three-language policy? Lack of qualified teachers. Pressure on students. CBSE has clarified that students can continue studying foreign languages such as French, German or Spanish either as one of the prescribed languages or as an additional fourth language. It has also introduced one-time relaxations for students already studying two non-Indian languages and said NCERT is preparing textbooks in all 22 Scheduled Languages to support implementation. The petitioners, however, contend that the policy was introduced abruptly, lacks adequate infrastructure and could disrupt students' ongoing language education. They have also questioned the availability of qualified teachers, textbooks and assessment mechanisms for the revised framework.
K RAJARA IRS 16726
From: Rajaram Krishnamurthy <keyar...@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2026 at 20:49
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To: Rajaram Krishnamurthy <keyar...@gmail.com>