BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Monday sought the Union Government’s response on making Kannada a compulsory language for undergraduate courses in the state from the academic year 2021-22 under the National Education Policy-2020.
A division bench of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum passed the order on public interest litigation after hearing the arguments of senior counsel S S Naganand, representing the petitioner Samskrita Bharati (Karnataka) Trust and other educational institutions, and Advocate General Prabhuling K Navadagi.
“The counsel for the Union of India sought time to file an affidavit making its stand clear on the issues raised in the writ petition. One week time is granted to file the affidavit”, the court said while orally posing a question whether the state can make Kannada compulsory if it wants to implement the NEP.
Justifying the decision of the state government, the AG submitted that the petition questioning a policy decision of the state government is not in the nature of public interest and the state can impose reasonable regulations when it comes to language.
It was a policy decision in tune with the recommendations of V K Gokak Committee report to give primacy to Kannada language in education and not an overnight development, he contended. The counsel for the petitioners argued that the State Government’s orders, dated August 7 and September 15, 2021, make Kannada a compulsory language subject at the graduation level.
He stated that students coming from other states who have not at all studied Kannada in school up to Class 12 are bound to fail as they cannot study Kannada as a subject at the graduation level. The counsel argued that the NEP-2020 also does not provide for making regional language compulsory.
The petitioners claimed that every student has to opt for Kannada, irrespective of whether they have previously studied the language in school or pre-university. This means that every student who enrolls for a degree course in the state must study Kannada, which includes students from other states/countries irrespective of their mother tongue and regional language. No clarity in this regard is forthcoming in the government orders, they claimed.
Further hearing will be held on November 30.
The State’s orders make Kannada a compulsory language subject at the graduation level. Students from other states who have not at all studied Kannada in school up to Class 12 are bound to fail as they cannot study Kannada as a subject at graduation level Counsel for the petitioners
Take action if driving test norms are not followed, State told
Bengaluru: The State Government on Monday informed the Karnataka High Court that it has issued guidelines to all Regional Transport Offices to maintain separate register on parameters being followed in assessing candidates during driving tests, in terms of rule 15 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989. Recording the submission, a division bench of Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum disposed of public interest litigation filed by S Gowrishankar, a resident of city. The court noted that a complaint can be filed with the higher authorities, who should take appropriate action in case of any violation of guidelines for driving tests. The petitioner alleged that the authorities are not following the guidelines in conducting driving tests and they do not follow the provisions of Rule 15. If they really stick to Rule 15, they cannot conduct 50 or 100 driving tests a day, as they are presently doing, he claimed. ENS