No interim relief on plea against compulsory Telugu in schools

Report by The New Indian Express

The Telangana High Court on Monday declined to grant interim relief in a PIL challenging the implementation of the Telangana (Compulsory Teaching and Learning of Telugu in Schools) Act, 2018.

A bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice GM Mohiuddin was hearing a PIL filed by Pramila Pathak, who questioned the mandatory inclusion of Telugu as a subject in all schools, including those under private management.

Counsel for the state government informed the court that exemptions had already been granted for higher classes. According to a memo dated December 28, 2022, Classes 9 and 10 were exempted from the Act for the academic years 2022–23 and 2023–24. A later memo, issued on December 7, 2024, extended the deadline for compulsory implementation to the 2024–25 academic year for Class 9 and to 2025–26 for Class 10. Counsel added that the government was also considering extending exemptions for Class 9 in the current year.

The bench observed that a writ petition on the same issue, filed by students was already pending before a single bench where an interim order had been passed. “As such, there is no urgency in this matter,” the judges noted, adjourning the hearing for six weeks.