New Delhi, May 12: The Supreme Court has refused to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a directive to the governments of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and West Bengal to implement the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, including its three-language formula.
A Bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan, while dismissing the plea filed by advocate GS Mani, observed that the court could not compel state governments to adopt a central policy through a writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution.
“The Supreme Court, through Article 32, is empowered to protect the fundamental rights of citizens, but it cannot issue directions to force a state to implement a policy like the NEP 2020,” the Bench stated in its May 9 order.
It added that judicial intervention could be warranted if a state’s action or inaction regarding the NEP infringes upon fundamental or legal rights. However, the current petition, the court ruled, did not meet that threshold. “We do not propose to examine this issue in this writ petition filed under Article 32,” the Bench said.
The court also noted that the petitioner lacked direct involvement in the matter. “Although he may be from Tamil Nadu, by his own admission, he is currently residing in New Delhi,” the Bench observed, clarifying that while the matter could be addressed in appropriate proceedings, this particular petition was not suitable.
