The Supreme Court on Monday, September 1, sought responses from the Union government, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), and several states on a petition demanding age-appropriate, transgender-inclusive comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) in school curricula.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India Bhushan R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran issued notices to the Centre, NCERT, and states including Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The petition was filed by 16-year-old student Kaavya Mukherjee Saha from Delhi, reported Hindustan Times.
Appearing for Saha, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan told the court that despite its 2024 direction to integrate CSE, NCERT admitted in a Right to Information reply that it had “no information” on introducing such material. “This shows the orders of this court remain unimplemented,” he submitted, stressing the need for gender sensitisation and transgender-inclusive perspectives.
The plea highlights failures by NCERT and most state councils of educational research and training (SCERTs) to include structured content on gender identity and diversity, despite mandates under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
The petition builds on a December 2024 Supreme Court ruling, which held that CSE is “a vital tool in the long-term eradication of child marriage.” That judgment directed schools to align content with frameworks of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), cover legal aspects of child marriage, and ensure reporting if a girl student suddenly dropped out of school.