NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a plea seeking a direction to the Centre, the states and union territories to make Hindi compulsory for students of class I-VIII across the country to promote national unity.
Taking note of the fact that petitioner Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay was a spokesperson of the BJP’s Delhi chapter, a bench headed by chief justice J.S. Khehar asked “why does he not ask his party to do it? He belongs to the governing party. He is part of the government.”
The bench, which also comprised justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Sanjay Kishan Kaul, said the people speaking other languages may also start asking why their languages are not being taught and added that the government could look into it.
The bench also did not allow the plea of Upadhyay, who is also an advocate, that he would withdraw the plea and let it be treated as a representation to the central government. “We will not say anything. You withdraw it,” it said.
