Overview

• A division bench led by Acting Chief Justice V Kameswar Rao and Justice C M Joshi issued notices to both the Karnataka and central governments.
• The 2023 PIL filed by parents of CBSE and CISCE students challenges the Kannada Language Learning Act 2015, its 2017 Rules and the 2022 NOC Rules for compulsory Kannada instruction.
• Petitioners contend the mandate infringes students’ constitutional right to choose languages, could hamper academic performance and future employment, and threaten livelihoods of non-Kannada teachers.
• The court admonished the state for more than two years of silence and warned that failure to comply may prompt it to grant interim relief.
• Further hearings will be scheduled once the Karnataka government submits its objections within the stipulated three-week period.