The Gujarat High Court on November 21 made important observations as it heard a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging a state government resolution making the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita compulsory for students from Classes 6 to 12. During the hearing, the court observed the Bhagavad Gita is essentially a moral and cultural literature and not religious.
Case Background
The PIL was filed against a 2022 resolution by the Gujarat government’s education department, which sought to introduce values and principles from Bhagavad Gita into school education. The petitioners, among whom were Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Gujarat and Jamiat Ulama Welfare Trust, averred that this move infringed on National Education Policy, as it failed to adhere to principles of secularism and bypassed established educational authorities responsible for curriculum design.
Court Proceedings
These teachings were introduced, according to Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Pranav Trivedi during the hearing, merely to introduce moral education. The court observed that although NEP encourages teaching principles from all religions in a secular manner, it does not prohibit introducing teachings of one religion one at a time. The division bench commented that the effort could be said to be rather a lesson in moral science to emphasize the point that those teachings are part of social education and not religious indoctrination.
The petitioners’ counsel argued that it is a contradiction of the guidelines of the NEP that pursues an all-inclusive education and does not favor one religious text over another. He expressed apprehension that if the education system only leaned on Bhagavad Gita, it would defeat the secular purpose of the educational institutions.
Major Arguments
Moral vs. Religious Teaching: The court held that religious teaching from the Bhagavad Gita could be one of moral teachings applicable to all. It was taken through quotes such as “Karm kar phal ki iccha matt kar”, which translates to “Do your work without expecting results” as key moral lessons.
Implementation Issues: The appellants argued that the state initiated implementation of these teachings without adhering to standard curriculum design, hence infringing on constitutional prohibitions on teaching religion in schools sponsored by the state.
Cultural Perspective: The court held that even though the Bhagavad Gita is a scripture associated with Hinduism, its teachings might be placed in a larger cultural context, and therefore, could be taught in school.
Conclusion
Further hearings on the matter have been scheduled by the court for 23 December 2024. Meanwhile, it recognized that despite no urgency of their resolution, it was of great importance that the state addressed its concerns over a formal response to the petitioners.
This case makes ongoing debates in India surrounding educational policy, religious instruction, and secularism within schools gain much attention. Observably, as the discussion progresses, the stakeholders will keenly observe how the legal proceedings play out and affect educational practices nationwide
