Dr. Ravindra Kumar Verma v. State of Chhattisgarh
Case brief
What is this about?
The Court addressed three Public Interest Litigations challenging the Chhattisgarh State Government's orders converting Hindi-medium schools to English-medium and mandating English numerals in textbooks. Relying on Article 21-A, Article 21, and the RTE Act, 2009, the Court held that the State cannot unilaterally replace vernacular schools entirely. While upholding the right to mother-tongue education, the Court permitted the introduction of English-medium sections for transition for new students, provided existing vernacular schooling continues. The directive to switch to English numerals was set aside as prejudicial to primary students.
What did the court decide?
The order mandating the use of digits for numbering instead of Devanagari or Hindi numbers is set aside. The order to replace vernacular medium schools entirely with English medium schools is restricted; vernacular medium schools must be maintained for existing students, and English medium sections may be introduced for new students to facilitate transition without disruption.