SC upholds law making Tamil compulsory in schools

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a law making Tamil a compulsory subject from class one in all schools in Tamil Nadu from the academic year 2006-07, saying it could not interfere with a policy decision of the state.

A bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat and J M Panchal refused to interfere with the Madras High Court judgment upholding the validity of the Tamil Nadu Tamil Learning Act of 2006.

The bench dismissed a bunch of petitions from the Kanyakumari District Malayala Samajam and others challenging the law. It said it couldn't interfere with the policy decision of the state and cited similar laws in Karnataka and Maharashtra, making Kanada and Marathi as a compulsory subject, in the respective states.

The high court had said that the legislation was not unreasonable or discriminatory and did not result in minority institutions losing their character. Further, the high court had said the legislation was not a colourable exercise of power with a malafide intention to take away the rights of minorities, to use their mother tongue as a medium of instruction.

The law does not, in any way, curtail the rights guaranteed to minority institutions under Article 29(1) and 30(1) of the Constitution, the high court had said.