# Supreme Court suggests opt-out for Class 6 students on 3-language policy

2026-09-17T11:37:06+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

The Supreme Court on September 17 asked the Centre to consider letting current Class 6 students opt out of CBSE's three-language policy for the academic year. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said the suggestion was for student comfort, not a comment on the policy's validity. The CBSE said it will consider the proposal and respond. Justice Bagchi suggested the policy could become mandatory from January 2027 for students entering Class 6, while current Class 6 students could continue under the old arrangement. Students willing to study three languages now could still do so. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati told the court the Centre will examine the relaxation. The court will hear the matter again on September 23.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All three sources report the same facts from the hearing, with no divergent stance. The coverage is uniform straight reporting focused on the court's suggestion and the Centre's response. The next hearing on September 23 will show whether the Centre agrees to the optional delay or resists it, and what form the final relaxation takes.

## Coverage

- news.abplive.com (neutral report) <https://news.abplive.com/education/supreme-court-questions-sudden-rollout-seeks-delay-cbse-three-language-policy-1867123>
  Straight reporting of court suggestion and CBSE response.
- timesnownews.com (neutral report) <https://www.timesnownews.com/education/cbse-three-language-policy-supreme-court-asks-board-to-defer-class-6-rollout-to-2027-article-156175020>
  Straight reporting of court suggestion and CBSE response.
- barandbench.com (neutral report) <https://www.barandbench.com/news/can-current-class-6-students-can-be-exempted-from-cbse-3-language-policy-supreme-court-asks-centre-again>
  Straight reporting of court suggestion and CBSE response.

Tags: CBSE, Joymalya Bagchi, National Education Policy 2020, Supreme Court of India, Surya Kant
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