Bengaluru, July 11 The Karnataka High Court, on Friday, issued directions to the Congress-led government in the state, asking it to respond within three weeks regarding its order mandating the teaching of Kannada in CBSE and ICSE schools.
The order was passed by a division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice V. Kameshwar Rao and Justice C.M. Joshi while hearing a PIL filed by parents of the children studying in CBSE and ICSE schools across Karnataka.
The PIL challenges certain legislations enacted by the state government that make teaching of Kannada compulsory in schools.
The PIL, filed in 2023 by C. Somashekar and others, noted that the state government had not yet submitted its objections to the court.
Taking exception to this delay, the bench remarked that the Karnataka government had done nothing for last two years.
The court directed the state government to expedite its response and warned that it would consider granting relief to the petitioners if the state failed to comply.
The petition argues that the Kannada Language Learning Act, 2015, and the Kannada Language Learning Rules, 2022, adversely impact both students and teachers.
It claims that the legislations infringe on students' rights to choose their first, second and third languages, which could affect their academic performance and future employment opportunities.
According to the PIL, these rules are unconstitutional and legally inconsistent with existing state education laws.
The petitioners requested the court to stay the implementation of the laws, but the court declined to pass any interim orders until the state government files its objections.
The PIL clarified that the petitioners are not opposed to the teaching of Kannada in schools and hold the language's rich heritage and literature in high regard.
However, it argues that the forced implementation of the policy would be detrimental to students and violates constitutional principles.
The petition, it emphasised, was filed not for personal gain but in the interest of the public -- especially school children.
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