Supreme Court Requests Input on Mandated Third Language for Class 9 Students
Supreme Court seeks response from Centre, CBSE & NCERT on plea against 3rd language mandate for Class 9
Deccan Herald
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The Supreme Court of India has requested responses from the Centre, CBSE, and NCERT regarding a petition against the mandatory third language requirement for Class 9 students starting in the 2026-27 academic year. The court is set to review the logistical preparedness and constitutional implications of this decision.
- 01The Supreme Court is examining a petition challenging the CBSE's mandate for Class 9 students to study a third language from the 2026-27 academic year.
- 02The court has asked the Centre's Additional Solicitor General to provide a report on the implementation logistics.
- 03Senior advocate Kapil Sibal argues that the decision raises significant constitutional questions and that textbooks for the new language are not yet available.
- 04The petitioners include 19 individuals, such as parents and teachers from Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, and Chennai.
- 05The court has scheduled further hearings for the second week of July, declining to issue an interim order against the implementation of the mandate.
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The Supreme Court of India has sought responses from the Centre, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), and National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) concerning a petition that challenges the requirement for Class 9 students to study a third language starting in the 2026-27 academic year. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant requested Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati to report on the logistical readiness for this new rule. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing petitioners, highlighted significant constitutional issues, emphasizing that textbooks for the mandated third language are currently unavailable. The petitioners, which include 19 parents and teachers from regions such as Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, and Chennai, argue that the imposition of a third language should be a matter of choice rather than compulsion. The court has scheduled further hearings for the second week of July but did not grant an interim order to halt the implementation of the mandate.
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The decision could affect the curriculum and language choices for students in the specified regions.
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