Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SP)

Bangalore, Jun 2: The state High Court on Monday June 1, caused issuance of emergent notices to three top officials of the education department, in connection with the contempt of court petition filed by Rajajinagar Education Trust and Karnataka Unaided Schools Management Association (KUSMA), relating to the non-adherence to the High Court guidelines regarding the medium of instructions issue.

The petition relates to non-compliance of the order dated April 6 passed by the High Court Judge, Justice Mohana Shantanagouder. The division bench comprising of Justice K L Manjunath and Justice C R Kumaraswami passed the said order.

It may be recalled that the single judge bench chaired by Justice Mohana Shantanagoudar, relating to a petition filed by KUSMA, had ordered the government to study the order passed by a full bench of the High Court in the past and to implement the same within four weeks.  The notices are now being issued to principal secretary in the primary and secondary education department R J Nadadur, department of public instruction commissioner Kumara Nayak and Bangalore North deputy director of public instruction P C Chandraiah, who have been named as the defendants in the contempt of court case.

The High Court had in the past, directed that the children and their parents should be given the option of choosing their mediums of instruction and that they should not be pressurized to learn in a particular language.  The appeal preferred by the government against this order, is under consideration at Supreme Court. The government is of the opinion that the schools which want to teach the children in English, need to wait till the Supreme Court announces its verdict.

The city DDPI had rejected applications made by certain private educational institutions to teach in English. The division bench had set aside this order.