The Chhattisgarh High Court disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed seeking direction to the respondents to implement Section 29(2)(f) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 in letter and spirit by having Chhattisgarhi as medium of instruction in the schools in the state of Chhattisgarh.

The PIL filed further seeks the following relief:-

-to issue appropriate writ/direct the respondents to implement the National Education Policy 2020 issued by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India so far it relates to having medium of instruction in school education in Local Language i.e. Chhattisgarhi in the state of Chhattisgarh. 

-to issue appropriate writ/direct the respondents to implement the National Education Policy 2020 issued by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India by making available high quality text books in all School subjects in Chhattisgarhi language.

Ranbir Singh Marhas, Additional Advocate General, appearing for the State/respondent No.1 states that the State Council of Educational Research & Training, Chhattisgarh has issued a letter dated 22.03.2024 to the Officer in Charge and Joint Director, Division Raipur, Chhattisgarh regarding giving information about the action taken so far to include ‘Chhattisgarhi language’ as a medium in schools. The operative portions of the said letter reads as follows :  

"1-Chhattisgarhi has already been included in the school education curriculum. From the academic session 2020-21, textbooks of primary level (class 1 and class 2) have been included in bilingual form. Apart from Chhattisgarhi, from the academic session 2020-21, bilingual textbooks of class 1 and 2 at the primary level have been included in 16 local languages-dialects (Chhattisgarhi (Raipur and Bilaspur divisions), Haldi, Gondi (Kanker, Dantewada and Bastar), Bhatri, Kudukh, Sargujiha, Sadari, Kamari, Baigani, Dorli, Dhurvi, Bagheli and Madia).

Some 25 percent of the text material of Chhattisgarhi language has been included in the Hindi language textbooks from class 3 to class 5. 30 percent of the text material of Chhattisgarhi language has also been included in the Hindi language textbooks from class 6 to 8. Similarly, 15 per cent of the study material in Chhattisgarhi language has been included in Hindi language textbooks from class 9 to 10."

The Division Bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Sachin Singh Rajput  have perused the aforesaid letter and its content and gone through the prayers and pleadings made in the instant writ petition. The letter is taken on record and the petition was disposed of by the High Court.