Hindustan Times (Jalandhar)

SC to decide if KVs push religion via Hindi prayer

- Bhadra Sinha bhadra.sinha@hindustant­imes.com

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to ascertain whether a Hindi prayer sung in the morning assembly in more than 1,100 Kendriya Vidyalaya schools across India promotes Hinduism and violates the Constituti­on.

A bench headed by Justice RF Nariman issued notice to the government on the plea, which said that the morning assembly prayer was being enforced throughout the country in all the Kendriya Vidyalayas, which are also known as Central Schools.

“It is a very important constituti­onal issue,” the bench said.

The petition was filed by an advocate Veenayak Shah whose children graduated from a Kendriya Vidyalaya. Shah, a resident of Madhya Pradesh, said the practise of prayer created obstacles in developing scientific temperamen­t among students as the whole idea of God and religious faith is given immense priority and instilled as a thought-process among the students. “Students as a result learn to develop an inclinatio­n towards seeking refuge from the almighty instead of developing a practical outcome towards the obstacles and hurdles faced in everyday life, and the spirit of enquiry and reform seems to be lost somewhere,” the plea said.

“All the students irrespecti­ve of their faith and belief, have to compulsori­ly attend the morning assembly and recite the prayer,” he said in the petition. The prayer also includes some Sanskrit words.

Teachers share the collective responsibi­lity of supervisin­g the assembly and making sure that every student folds his/her hands, closes his/her eyes and recites the prayer without fail. Any student failing to do so is punished and humiliated in front of the entire school, he said.

Shah also submitted before the court that the common prayer is a “religious instructio­n” within the meaning of Article 28 of the Constituti­on and should therefore be prohibited. Article 28(1) says that no religious instructio­n shall be provided in any educationa­l institutio­n wholly maintained out of state funds.

 ?? HT FILE ?? Students at a Kendriya Vidyalaya school in Navi Mumbai.
HT FILE Students at a Kendriya Vidyalaya school in Navi Mumbai.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from India