Supreme Court Urges CBSE to Extend Language Policy Exemption to Class VI Students

In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court has directed the CBSE to consider extending the exemption from the three-language policy to current Class VI students, similar to what has been granted to Class VII students. This decision comes as part of the ongoing discussions regarding the implementation of the National Education Policy and aims to address the challenges faced by schools in adopting the new framework. The court's order emphasizes the need for adequate preparation and resources before fully implementing the policy, raising questions about the impact on students' language choices and educational pathways. As the situation develops, the CBSE is expected to respond to the court's directive, with further hearings scheduled in the coming weeks.

By Narendra Chaudhary Sep 28, 2026, 18:05 IST

Supreme Court's Directive on Language Policy

New Delhi: On Wednesday, the Supreme Court instructed the Central Government and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to contemplate granting the same exemption from the three-language policy to current Class VI students that has already been provided to Class VII students.

Previously, on September 17, the court had directed the CBSE to implement a policy requiring Class VI students to learn three languages, including two native Indian languages, starting from the academic year 2027.

As per a statement from the CBSE dated June 29, students in Classes VII, VIII, and IX will not be required to take a board examination in the third language when they advance to Class X.

A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, urged Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, representing the Centre and CBSE, to extend the same relaxation to Class VI students this year.

"The Solicitor General indicated that approximately 99% of schools have adopted the third-language policy and have the necessary facilities, with only about 1.2% not complying. Therefore, we direct that Class VI students be granted the same exemption as Class VII students," the bench stated.

The court scheduled the next hearing for six weeks later and requested the CBSE to submit its response within four weeks, allowing for a rejoinder in two weeks thereafter.

The CBSE clarified that for the current Class VII and VIII students who have already chosen and begun studying two non-native languages, they must also study one additional Indian language until the Class X assessment.

"The third language will be evaluated through an internal school-based assessment, and there will be no CBSE Board examination for this language when these students progress to Class X," the CBSE noted.

The Supreme Court's order on Monday mandated that Class VI students receive the same benefits this year.

During the proceedings, the Centre expressed reluctance to exempt the current Class VI students from the policy, insisting that they should begin following the new language framework this academic year.

The Solicitor General informed the bench that recent data indicated that implementation challenges affected only about 1.2% of CBSE-affiliated schools.

According to the Centre, nearly 99% of schools had adopted the third-language policy and were equipped with the necessary resources.

Justice Bagchi proposed that the implementation for Class VI students could be postponed, allowing the CBSE more time to establish the required infrastructure.

He suggested that the current Class VI students could be accommodated for this academic year, with full implementation commencing in 2027, giving schools ample time to prepare qualified teachers, textbooks, and other resources.

"This is merely a matter of a soft launch," Justice Bagchi remarked, adding that if Class VI students were granted accommodation, the framework could be fully implemented once schools were adequately prepared.

However, the Solicitor General reiterated that the government was not inclined to exempt Class VI students from the current academic year.

He stated that the government had conducted extensive discussions and believed the scheme could be implemented this year.

The Solicitor General mentioned that the latest figures encompassed around 28,000 CBSE-affiliated schools, with only about 1.2% not meeting the requirements.

He also confirmed that books and other materials were readily available.

The Chief Justice proposed forming a committee of senior officials to directly engage with schools and petitioners facing implementation challenges.

"Why not appoint a committee of responsible senior officers?" the Chief Justice suggested.

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the petitioners, opposed the idea of forming another committee, arguing that a clear decision was necessary.

Sankaranarayanan emphasized that the issue was not just about introducing a third language but also about altering language choices for students who had already progressed through several years of education.

He cited the example of a petitioner school, Delhi Public School, where students who had been studying Spanish since Class IV were shifted to Sanskrit under the new framework.

This dispute stems from the CBSE's decision to align its curriculum with the National Education Policy, 2020, and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education, 2023. Under this framework, students are required to study three languages, with at least two categorized as Indian or "Bhartiya Bhashas."

The CBSE has identified languages such as Hindi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Odia, and Assamese as Indian languages, while English, French, German, Arabic, and Spanish are classified as non-native languages.