4.The contention of the learned Senior Counsel for the petitioner is that sub-section (1) of Section 3 provides for a phased manner of commencement of teaching of Tamil. Sub-section (2), for the purposes of sub-section (1) provides the pattern of education that is to follow. In this pattern, Part-I has Tamil as compulsory language, Part-II has English as compulsory language, Part-III is in respect of other subjects like Mathematics, Science, Social Science, etc. and Part-IV gives the students who do not have either Tamil or English as their mother tongue to study their mother tongue as an optional subject. Learned Senior Counsel, thus, contends that the scheme permits the students of a minority institution not to even obtain pass marks in the third language which would be their mother tongue. It is, thus, his submission that over a period of time, this would result in practically extinguishment of their language, which, in a federal polity of the Indian Constitution is something which should not be countenanced. He contends that as a matter of fact there are persons who may have mother tongue other than Tamil and would be the residents of the State. Encouragement of Tamil should not imply discouragement of other language.
