Gujarat High Court issues notice to govt on introducing Bhagavad Gita in schools

The Gujarat High Court on Monday issued a notice to the state government on a petition challenging a resolution introducing the Bhagavad Gita in schools as a prayer program and verse recitation among other activitiesThe high court however declined to stay the resolution and sought the state governments reply by August 18A division bench of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice Ashutosh Shastri issued the notice on a Public Interest Litigation PIL filed by Jamiat UlamaEHind JUEH challenging the education departments resolution on introducing the Bhagavad Gita in schools as prayers and through activities like recitation of shlokas etc from this educational yearThe JUEH challenged the resolution on the grounds of Constitutional validity and claimed it was in contravention of the National Education Policy NEPAlso Read Mumbai corporator demands Bhagavad Gita recitation in all BMCrun schoolsThe bench also directed the petitioners counsel to serve a copy of the PIL on the Assistant Solicitor General as the Central government has also been made a respondentThe Gujarat education minister announced the move to introduce the Gita in schools in Gujarat in March this yearAppearing for JUEH lawyer Mihir Joshi said values and principles of Indian culture and the system of knowledge can certainly be prescribed in the school curriculum but the question is whether it should be done by giving primacy to the values and principles of the holy book of only one religionThe issue is whether one holy book can be prescribed in this manner he arguedIndian culture comprises a vast array of what it comprises The submission before the court is that there is no question of giving primacy to the religious book of one religion for stating that the values and principles as prescribed in that book alone shall be taught Joshi saidHe argued that the principles underlying the NEP to guide both the educational system at large and individual institutions are ethics human and constitutional values and pluralism respect for diversity pride in Indias rich and diverse ancient and modern culture and knowledge systems and traditionsJoshi further said that Articles 25 and 28 of the Constitution provide for the freedom of conscience and free profession practice and propagation of religion and directives that no religious instructions shall be provided in a staterun educational institutionThe state education departments resolution issued a directive to include Indian culture and Indian knowledge system from 202223 by including the value and principles of Srimad Bhagavad Gita in class 612 in such a matter that the children understand and take an interest Joshi saidFor classes 68 the Gita shall be introduced in educational subject textbooks in the form of stories reading materials etcIn classes 912 the Gita shall be introduced in the first language textbooks in the form of stories reading material etc It shall have to be introduced in prayersVarious activities such as Gitabased shlok recitation debates elocution dramas drawings etc shall be organised he said quoting the resolutionAs far as the curriculum is concerned the Right to Education RTE says that there is a statutory organisation which will frame it and recommend it to the state government he saidJoshi sought a stay on the implementation of the resolution arguing that the direction given to the Gujarat Council of Educational Research and Training GCERT to prepare a curriculum for the purpose is without jurisdiction and contrary to statutory provisionsThe HC however declined to grant the stay saying it will not consider the prayer without an affidavitThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever