The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a plea to make Hindi language compulsory for school students to promote national unity.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar said making Hindi compulsory might open the flood gates for people speaking other languages to demand that theirs should also be made compulsory.
The petitioner, Ashwini Kumar Updhayay, had referred to constitutional provisions and the non-execution of the three-language formula enunciated in the 1968 National Policy Resolution by the Centre in consultation with the States.
The plea said the three-language formula provided for the study of Hindi, English and modern Indian language in Hindi-speaking States, and Hindi, English and a regional language in the non-Hindi speaking States and it was still not implemented.
“In order to promote fraternity, assuring dignity of individual and unity and national integration, study of Hindi should be made compulsory for all the students of Class One to Class Eight through the country,” the plea said.
It said the 1968 policy was framed in response to demands from non-Hindi-speaking States like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. However, all these States had not followed the three-language formula till date, the petitioner claimed.
