HC grants time to govt to reconsider Kannada Learning Act

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday granted time to the state government to reconsider the Kannada Language Learning Act.

A division bench orally observed that whether classical or functional, students coming from outside Karnataka cannot be compelled to learn the Kannada language.

A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum, was hearing a PIL filed by Samskrita Bharati (Karnataka) Trust, Bengaluru and three other institutions associated with the promotion of the Sanskrit language.

The petitioners have questioned the validity of government orders dated August 7 and September 15, 2021.

The petition has sought a declaration to the effect that National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 does not impose any restriction upon the student to choose any particular language as part of the curricula for higher education.

“With the understanding that the government will reconsider the issue we adjourn the matter,” the bench orally said and posted the matter for further hearing to November 10.

The bench orally said how the state government can compel a student coming from outside to learn Kannada. It also said that the government has to reconsider the issue.

Earlier, Advocate General (AG) Prabhuling K Navdagi said that people have to learn Kannada for employment purposes and they need not learn Kannada in a classical sense. On further query, the AG said he would get more instructions on the matter.

Appearing on behalf of the petitioners, senior advocate S S Naganand said that the academic year has already commenced and students will have to make a choice.

According to the petitioners, the orders issued by the government making learning Kannada as mandatory for all undergraduate degree courses will affect an estimated 1,32,300 students and 4,000 teachers.

The petitioners have claimed that there are teachers teaching Sanskrit (600 teachers), Hindi (3,000 teachers), Urdu (300 teachers) and other languages (100 teachers) in the state.

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