The Supreme Court of India commented on Thursday against the introduction of a third language in schools, noting that the decision to implement this subject at the ninth-grade level could create undue stress for students preparing for board exams.
The Supreme Court of India commented on Thursday against the introduction of a third language in schools, noting that the decision to implement this subject at the ninth-grade level could create undue stress for students preparing for board exams.
The ruling was made by the bench of judges B. V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan while hearing an appeal by the Tamil Nadu government. This appeal challenged a directive from the Madras High Court concerning assistance in establishing Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in every district of the state.
Judge Nagarathna suggested that if a third language needs to be taught, it should begin to be studied from the sixth grade. The Tamil Nadu government explained its objection as being related to the three-language policy. However, the court bench emphasized that this policy does not mandate the study of Hindi. The court noted: 'A state language must be taught, English must be taught, and any third language must be taught. It is not stated that this must be Hindi.'
In response to the assertion that the third language becomes mandatory from the ninth grade, Judge Nagarathna advised: 'You introduce it in the sixth grade. The earlier, the better.'
The Supreme Court refused to suspend the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) three-language policy for the 2026-27 academic year. The court noted that 'learning a language is never in vain,' but agreed to examine the petitions challenging this policy in more detail next week.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V Mohana, issued notices on the new petitions and scheduled a hearing for Wednesday next week. Nevertheless, the court declined to grant any interim stay on the CBSE circulars at this stage.
The petitions question the CBSE's decision to implement the revised three-language policy from the current academic year. Petitioners argue that 9th-grade students are now required to study two Indian languages, forcing many to drop languages they had been studying since 5th grade. Furthermore, they expressed concern that English is being treated as a non-native language under this policy, and pointed to a shortage of teachers and textbooks for several Indian languages.
Senior Advocate Anand Grover, representing one of the petitioners, stated that CBSE does not have the legal authority to issue such circulars. He emphasized: 'The circulars have no legal basis. Only NCERT has the authority, not CBSE. They are imposing languages without providing options. If I want to study Punjabi instead of Sanskrit, there are neither teachers nor books. As a child, I should have the opportunity to learn a language that will provide me with employment.'
Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, arguing in another set of petitions, contended that the policy treats English as a 'non-native' language while simultaneously making Indian languages mandatory. He remarked: 'They took a 300-year-old language and treat English as a non-native language.'
Senior Advocate Shyam Diwan argued that despite CBSE softening some provisions in the June 29 circular, the core issues persist. He pointed out that although the National Education Policy (NEP) provided for implementation by 2030, CBSE has accelerated this process to the current academic year.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi highlighted the practical difficulties for students already studying foreign languages. He questioned: 'How can a 9th-grade student who is still studying French be told to take a third language and take an exam in April if they have not passed the internal assessment? Which school in Delhi can provide a teacher who can teach, for example, Tamil?'
Sankaranarayanan, seeking interim relief, stated that schools are unprepared for the policy's implementation. He reported that only three books are available on the NCERT website, not 22. Children are being instructed to give up English and other foreign languages in favor of native ones. He added that it was initially promised that textbooks would be ready by July, and teachers should be ready for 22 languages, which violates the existing situation. He also expressed concern that foreign language teachers might lose their jobs if schools are forced to change the language offering.
Responding to the arguments, Chief Justice Surya Kant uttered the phrase: 'Learning a language is never in vain.' When Sankaranarayanan raised the issue of potential teacher layoffs due to the policy, the CJI replied: 'If they are laid off, we can reinstate them.'
Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Union Government, requested two weeks to file a response, and the bench directed the Centre to submit its reply within 10 days. The court also heard submissions from intervener Fauzia Khan, represented by advocates Rahul Shyam Bhandali and G Priyadarshini, who claimed that the policy negatively affected children's mental health, especially those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
These hearings take place against the backdrop of ongoing litigation regarding the revised CBSE three-language policy introduced under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The board defends its policy by informing the Supreme Court that nearly half of the more than 28,800 affiliated schools already teach two or more Indian languages in 9th grade, and almost all have at least one Indian language teacher. It was also stated that schools were given flexibility in staffing during the transition period.
CBSE clarified that students can continue to study foreign languages such as French, German, or Spanish, either as one of the prescribed languages or as an additional fourth language. One-time concessions were introduced for students already studying two non-Indian languages, and it was announced that NCERT is preparing textbooks for all 22 languages included in the Schedule to support the implementation.
