Delhi HC Rejects PIL To Include Legal Studies In School Curriculum

The Delhi High Court today rejected a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking introduction of the legal studies as an optional subject in every school.

The division bench of Chief Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and Subramonium Prasad rejected the plea observing that the inclusion of a subject in the curriculum falls within the domain of the executive courts that aren’t a forum to decide such issues.

Further, the Court remarked that if such prayers are granted, someone will file a petition tomorrow stating that they want astrophysics in the curriculum.

The Court remarked that, “Where is the right to demand that this particular stream be made part of the curriculum? Tomorrow some child would come to us and say I was astrophysics as a subject.”

The plea was filed by Shubham Pushp Sharma & Virander Kumar Sharma Punj. Punj stated to post as Assistant Commissioner of Police in the Delhi Police.

Advocate Meghverna Sharma appeared for the petitioners and therefore cited a 2013 news report in which the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) stated that legal studies would be offered as a subject in classes XI & XII on a pilot basis in around 200 schools.

However, the council stated that the government hasn’t done much in that respect since then.

Further, she submitted that the subjects like Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been made part of the curriculum and students are the petitioner met want to study law as well.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma stated that the government has initiatives like Know Your Constitution for people who want to immerse with the Indian constitution.
The bench restate that this is the domain of the government and the Court will not pass any order on this.

Therefore it dismissed the plea.