SC rejects PIL for daily Preamble recitation in school assemblies

The Supreme Court dismissed a PIL for mandatory daily recitation of the Constitution's Preamble in school assemblies. The court observed that the Preamble is already part of the school curriculum and is taught to students from Class 6 onwards.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to entertain a PIL seeking a nationwide policy requiring schools to have students recite the Preamble to the Constitution during morning assemblies.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Augustine George Masih observed that the Preamble already forms part of the school curriculum and is taught to students from Class 6 onwards.

Petitioner's Arguments for Constitutional Awareness

The plea, filed by Dheeraj Kumar, an Assistant Professor at Delhi University's Rajdhani College, sought directions to the Union Ministry of Education and the CBSE to frame a national policy promoting constitutional awareness among schoolchildren.

The petitioner argued that collective daily recitation of the Preamble, similar to the National Anthem during school assemblies, would familiarise children with the constitutional ideals of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity from an early age.

The petitioner also relied on initiatives in Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka, where schools had been directed to include recitation of the Preamble in morning assemblies. The plea argued that such practices could serve as a model for a uniform national approach to constitutional education.

It further referred to a May 2025 CBSE circular urging schools to incorporate daily positive affirmations in assemblies, contending that regular recitation of the Preamble would be a meaningful way of fostering constitutional values and civic awareness among students. (ANI)

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