SC’s flat‘no’to compulsory Hindi in schools

Delhi BJP spokesman and lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay got yet another snub of the Supreme Court on Thursday, throwing out his PIL for making Hindi compulsory for all students of Classes I to VIII and telling him that he can approach the government directly since his party is in power.

"Why have you come to court with this demand? You say you are a BJP man. Why don’t you approach the government? Your party is in power," Chief Justice Khehar told him while dismissing his petition as withdrawn.

Upadhyay’s earlier PIL to impose fundamental duties on citizens had met same fate 11 days ago on April 24 with similar comments from the same Bench: "When your party (BJP) is in power at the Centre and no decision was taken, the court cannot intervene as the issue raised is a policy matter and it is indeed the prerogative of legislature and executive. You better approach the government." When his lawyer R S Suri insisted with the Bench that also included Justices D Y Chandrachud and Sanjay Kishan Kaul to at least issue notice to the Centre, the CJI shot back amid peals of laughter in the courtroom.

"Look the court cannot interfere in such issues. Today you are asking for Hindi. Tomorrow somebody will come to court and ask for making study of Sanskrit mandatory. You and me would ask for Punjabi." Suri quickly withdrew the petition.