SC gives Class 6 students relief over three-language rule, implementation deferred to 2027

PTC Web Desk: The Supreme Court has given relief to students currently studying in Class 6 under the CBSE board over the mandatory three-language requirement.

The court directed that Class 6 students should receive the same exemption already extended to students of Classes 7, 8 and 9. The three-language policy will apply to the present Class 6 batch from April 1, 2027.

The order came after the Centre told the court that it was not ready to give Class 6 students an exemption for the current academic year.

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During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that around 99 per cent of CBSE schools had already adopted the third-language system and had the required arrangements in place.

The Centre said only about 1.2 per cent of schools were facing difficulties with the policy.

Despite the government's position, the Supreme Court said students who are currently in Class 6 should be given the same relief as the Class 7 batch.

The court also said that the broader questions surrounding the mandatory language requirement would be examined separately.

Supreme Court raises concern over sudden change

The bench also discussed the problems students could face if they were asked to change their language choices in the middle of their schooling.

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant suggested that senior government officials could speak to the schools that had approached the court and understand the difficulties being faced by students and parents.

However, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the parents, said another committee would not resolve the issue and urged the court to take a decision.

He said some students had been studying their chosen language since Class 4 and were now being asked to switch to another language.

Parents raise textbook concerns

The parents' side also raised concerns about the availability of textbooks. They told the court that while the Centre had stated that the books were available, physical copies had not been provided to students in some cases.

The lawyer cited the example of students at a Delhi Public School who had been studying Spanish since Class 4. According to the submission, several students were now being asked to study Sanskrit instead.

The parents' side also questioned the treatment of English under the new language framework and referred to its use in courts and constitutional documents.

Court says students should not face extra difficulty

The bench stressed that students should not be put under unnecessary pressure because of the change in language requirements.

Justice Joymalya Bagchi said the court wanted students to have "comfort, not difficulty" while dealing with the new system.

The court clarified that it was not stopping CBSE from implementing the policy in general. Instead, it directed that the students presently studying in Class 6 should receive the same relief as Class 7 students.

The policy will therefore be implemented for this Class 6 batch from April 1, 2027.

Case to be heard again

The Supreme Court has also kept the larger issue of the mandatory language requirement open for consideration.

The Centre has been given four weeks to file its counter-affidavit, while the petitioners will have two weeks after that to file their rejoinder. The matter has been listed after six weeks for further hearing.