The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to pass any interim order on a petition challenging CBSE’s implementation of the three-language policy for Class 9 students during the academic year 2026-27.The bench, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice V Mohana, said no interim protection would be granted and ordered that this plea be tagged along with a similar petition already pending in the court.“We cannot pass a single line order today. The matter has been debated for a long time. There is no question of interim protection,” the bench said.The petition was submitted by the NGO People’s Friends of Active Democracy. During the hearing, the group’s lawyers clarified that it was not challenging the three-language policy itself, but only its implementation.During the proceedings, Chief Justice Kant questioned the name of the NGO and asked whether such naming was intended to create fear in the court or in the minds of the public.The lawyer replied, “No, my lord. This is the name of the trust. It is an old trust established in 2013.” The lawyer also told the court that CBSE is expected to issue detailed implementation guidelines by June 15.However, the bench decided to hear the matter along with other related petitions and fixed July 14 as the next hearing date.The case relates to a notification issued by CBSE on May 15 as part of the board’s efforts to align its curriculum with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.According to the policy, from July 1, 2026, grade 9 students will be required to study three languages, at least two of which are indigenous Indian languages. Students wishing to study a foreign language can only do so after studying two Indian languages as a third language or as an additional fourth language.CBSE said there will be no board examinations for Class 10 in Third Language (R3). Instead, all assessments will be conducted within schools. The performance of the students will be reflected in their CBSE certificate and no student will be prevented from appearing in the Class 10 board examination due to R3.The committee also directed schools to update third language courses on the OASIS portal by June 30. It is said that textbooks for Class 6 R3 in 19 scheduled languages will be available by July 1, while schools can use SCERT and state-level resources for learning other indigenous Indian languages.To address the shortage of teachers, CBSE has allowed schools to temporarily use teachers from other subjects with relevant language capabilities. It also proposes measures such as inter-school resource sharing, virtual teaching support, hiring retired language teachers and appointing suitable graduate students.The committee further said that children with special needs will be able to relax under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. Foreign students returning to India are also exempted from learning two Indian mother tongues on a case-by-case basis.The Supreme Court had earlier agreed to examine the challenge on May 27 and issued notices to the Centre, CBSE and NCERT. It also seeks a report on the board’s readiness to implement the policy.
