HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Telangana High Court, comprising Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin, on Thursday declined interim relief in a PIL challenging the sudden imposition of Telugu as a mandatory second language in CBSE, ICSE, IB, and Cambridge schools.
The PIL, filed by teacher Pramila Pathak, contested the government’s move based on a December 7, 2024, memo and subsequent orders. She argued that students from diverse linguistic backgrounds were being compelled to learn Telugu from Classes II to X without notice, violating fundamental rights.
Citing the 2011 Census, the petition noted only 43.35% of Hyderabad’s population speaks Telugu as their mother tongue. It also referenced the 2018 Act mandating phased implementation of Telugu from Grades I and VI, which the petitioner said was ignored.
The government pleader said exemptions had been granted for Classes IX and X and sought two weeks to submit a phase-wise plan. The court granted time and directed the matter be tagged with a related writ petition.