India: High Court to Government: Follow court order on language policy

[Harold Schiffman]

Follow court order on language policy
7 Apr 2009, 0524 hrs IST, TNN



BANGALORE: Schools looking to switch over to English medium from
Kannada, got some relief from the high court on Monday. With the state
government dithering even after a full bench order, the court gave
them a boost by quashing the endorsement issued by the DDPI, rejecting
the registration of English medium schools. It asked the state
government to consider the fresh application within four weeks, in
keeping with the high court verdict of July 2, 2008 on language
policy. Rajajinagar Education Society, which runs Aurobindo Vidya
Mandir, filed an application seeking registration as English medium,
which was rejected by the DDPI with an endorsement dated February 25.
The Education Society, along with Karnataka Unaided Schools
Managements Association (KUSMA) had challenged the DDPI's order
rejecting the application.

The endorsement cited the 1994 language policy, though the High Court
bench had set aside the policy, and said the apex court had not issued
any stay order on a special leave petition (SLP) filed by the state
government. As there is no stay order from the apex court, the state
is bound to follow the HC verdict, said Justice Mohanshantanagoudar.
The state has no power to refuse registration for an English medium
school, in view of the July verdict. The Supreme Court heard the SLP
only once, on August 29, 2008, posted it before the registrar there
and issued formal notices to the respondents, but did not issue a stay
order, the counsel told the court. However, the government advocate
said the apex court is due to hear the SLP filed by the state on April
21, and that the full bench didn't fully reject the state's language
policy, as the petitioners claimed.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-4367483,prtpage-1.cms

-- 
**************************************
N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to
its members
and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner
or sponsor of
the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who
disagree with a
message are encouraged to post a rebuttal. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)
*******************************************