- The relief applies from 1 April 2027, Zee News reported.
- Petitioners said some schools offered only Hindi and Sanskrit as third-language options.
- CBSE must appoint an officer, and the Centre has four weeks to file its counter-affidavit in the case.
On 28 September 2026, a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant directed CBSE to give Class 6 students the same exemption already given to Class 7: no Class 10 board exam in their third language. The Centre had opposed the relief. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said all but 1.2% of 28,819 CBSE schools had implemented the scheme. Petitioners' counsel Gopal Sankaranarayanan said students complied only because they had no choice.
Petitioners put the number of affected students at about 28.83 lakh; students who started Class 6 in 2026 will not face a Class 10 board exam in their third language.
Claim by claim
All but 1.2% of 28,819 CBSE schools have implemented the three-language scheme.
Said by Tushar Mehta, Solicitor GeneralA government figure given in court; no independent data appears in the sources reviewed, and petitioners say compliance was forced rather than chosen.
LiveLawThe court ordered that Class 6 students may be granted the same exemption as Class 7 students.
LiveLaw quotes the order; Bar and Bench reports the court overruled the Centre's stand against the exemption.
LiveLaw · Bar and BenchWhat each side says
Argued that nearly all schools had already implemented the scheme and that Classes 7 to 9 face only internal evaluation, not a board exam, in the third language.
LiveLawArgued students went along only because they had no choice, that options were limited in many schools, and that the scheme should be deferred to 2027.
LiveLaw · Zee NewsNot yet known
- ?How the court will rule on the main challenge to the CBSE circular after the Centre files its reply.
Sources
4 outlets across the spectrum. Leanings are a rough guide to who reported it, not a verdict on accuracy.
- LiveLawCBSE 3-Language Formula | Grant Class 6 Same Relaxation As Class 7: Supreme Court
- Bar and BenchThree-language policy: Supreme Court directs CBSE to grant class 6 same exemption allowed to class 7
- Zee NewsSC flags sudden shift in language framework, grants class 6 same relief as class 7
- MoneycontrolCBSE three-language policy: What Supreme Court’s Class 6 exemption means
Spasht writes original summaries. Follow the links to read each outlet's own report. Revision 1.