The three-language rule was declared in a circular issued by the CBSE on May 15. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Supreme Court Justice B.V. Nagarathna on Thursday (July 16, 2026) lashed out at the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for introducing a third language in Class 9, stating that it would only add to children’s stress. Justice Nagarathna suggested that the third language should be introduced in Class 6 and discontinued in Class 9, rather than being introduced in Class 9.
“Tell the Union government not to do this… Union of India, please do not have third language in Class 9. Pressure [of the Board exams] starts for children in Class 8,” Justice Nagarathna said.
Earlier, a three-judge Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said the Court was more concerned about the logistical and factual challenges of implementing third language policy in the face of a dearth of teachers and books.
The Court issued notice to the Central Government, the CBSE, and the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on a petition challenging the mandatory three-language rule.
The CBSE also acknowledged the possibility of a resource crunch in the implementation of the three-language scheme in affiliated schools from 2026-27, but stated that retired teachers and “suitably qualified postgraduates” can contribute to teaching the different “Bharatiya Bhashas,” in an affidavit before the Supreme Court.
The Board said the three-language policy was one of the fundamental principles of National Education Policy, 2020 (NEP-2020) and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education, 2023 (NCFSE-2023) to “promote multilingualism and the power of language in teaching and learning”. The Centre’s separate affidavit agreed with the CBSE that the three-language policy served “legitimate public objectives”.
The three-language rule was declared in a circular issued by the CBSE on May 15. The circular had said that at least two of the three languages must be native Indian languages, and that the rule was part of the National Education Policy 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education 2023.
The CBSE had clarified that there would be no Board examination for the third language in Class 10.
Published – July 16, 2026 12:20 pm IST
