Supreme Court Extends CBSE Three-Language Exemption to Current Class 6 Students

The Supreme Court has directed the CBSE to bring students currently in Class 6 under the transitional exemption attached to its three-language policy, extending a concession that already covers Classes 7, 8 and 9.

Under the arrangement, students will continue to study a third language but will not have to sit for a CBSE board examination in that subject in Class 10. The language will instead be assessed internally at the school level and will not decide whether a student passes or fails. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana, indicated that students would not be marked pass or fail on the basis of the third language and would receive an attendance certificate.

The direction came during a hearing on petitions challenging parts of the policy. The Centre told the court it was not in favour of extending the exemption to the present Class 6 batch. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati noted that students in Classes 7, 8 and 9 had already been granted the transitional relief, meaning they will not face a board examination in the third language when they reach Class 10.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said the government had held detailed discussions following the court's earlier observations. Of the 28,819 CBSE schools, roughly 99 per cent have the necessary arrangements in place, while about 1.2 per cent still require facilities. Textbooks and study material are available and students have already selected their languages under the plan, the court was told.

The court has previously asked the Centre and the CBSE to consider a 'soft launch' of the new arrangement from 2027, expressing concern about changing the language system midway for students who had already made their choices.

CBSE has been directed to appoint an officer to contact schools where facilities are not yet ready and identify their difficulties. Justice Bagchi said the court would step in if a school detained a student on the basis of an internal assessment. The board must file its response within four weeks, after which the petitioners may file a rejoinder, with the main matter listed for further hearing.