Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore (SP)
Bangalore, Jul 15: The state government got a respite of sorts, when the Supreme Court on Tuesday July 14, stayed the proceedings in the contempt of court petition being heard in the state High Court on language policy. It may be recalled, that the High Court had threatened to move ahead with the contempt of court petition against certain government officials, for failing to implement the full bench verdict of the High Court last year that had partially modified the language policy of the state and asked it to permit unaided, private and minority primary schools in the state to adopt English as the medium of instruction.
The state government had brazenly violated the 2008 verdict of the High Court and had insisted that the schools follow the language policy spelt out by the state in its 1994 order. As per this policy, the medium of instruction up to the fourth standard can only be Kannada or the mother-tongue. Some of the educational institutions that were either denied permission or their applications had been kept pending, had approached the High Court for the redressal of their grievances.
When counsel for the state Sanjay Hegde mentioned the special leave petition preferred by the state against the earlier verdict for urgent hearing, the bench comprising of Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, Justice P Sathasivam and Justice B S Chauhan not only ordered issuance of notice to Shubhodaya Education Society and Saraswathi Education Society which had filed the contempt of court petition in the High Court, but also stayed contempt proceedings in this regard against the government officials. Hegde stated that the state has already approached the apex court against the verdict of the state High Court. He also explained that the Supreme Court had adjourned hearing in this case to July 21, without issuing any interim orders or keeping the High Court proceedings in abeyance. In view of this, the High Court had not only severely reprimanded the state, but also threatened to frame charges against the officials concerned, while adjourning the case to July 16.
The stay now granted by the Supreme Court will be operational only till July 24. The bench said, it would examine the desirability of keeping the operation of the high court verdict in abeyance when the matter comes up for hearing on July 21.
The High Court, while holding that unaided, private and minority schools have the liberty to choose the medium of instruction, also had stressed in its verdict dated July 2 last year that the children and their parents are vested with the powers to choose the medium of instruction.